Kathryn Drysdale

Kathryn Drysdale has maintained a studio in Wakefield, Quebec since 1991. She holds a degree in Visual Arts from Concordia University and also studied at the Ontario College of Art.

Her artistic practice is based on drawing and painting and is inspired by observing the world of forms around her. A series of work often begins with a fascination of the graphic quality of both beautiful and grotesque objects and spaces. Over the course of 25 years, images which began with the Gatineau landscape have moved through an exploration of the human figure, to industrial landscapes – and have come full circle back to the natural landscape and its inhabitants.

She has participated in shows in Quebec, Ontario and Mexico. Her work can be found in private and public art collections including the City of Ottawa and Loto Quebec. She is currently an instructor at the Ottawa School of Art and board member of the artist co-op Place des Artistes de Farrellton.

The technique used for her drawings is called s’graffito. The work is produced by painting a layer of gouache paint (usually black) on top of a thin layer of beeswax. The paint is then manipulated by wiping away the gouache and polishing the wax to find the structure of an image. Later detail is added by scratching the surface with a fine pointed tool.