Katayoun Dowlatshahi

Having graduated in Fine Art Printmaking from Edinburgh, with an MA in European Art from Barcelona and Winchester, Katayoun was awarded a Doctorate (PhD) in Drawing & Photography from The University of Gloucestershire with a specialism in Carbon Photography, a 19th century photographic process. Since 1995 she has lectured in a number of universities alongside her work as a full-time professional artist and have, in more recent years, worked with children within school settings.

She spent much of 2020 during the pandemic lockdown honing her skills in this technique in order to embrace it fully in her own work and to teach the process here in the UK.  

Artist statement about ‘The Contemplations’ series:

This an ongoing series of images that are inspired by my garden in Norfolk. These are intimate and self-reflexive portrayals of nature. Connection to memories, delightful discoveries, opportune moments, study of and meditations on the natural world around me are reflected in my choice of subject and compositions. These works evoke a North European tradition of the ‘Vanitas’ still life and conversely contemporary representations of birth, death and life.

I trained as a traditional printmaker in fine art, embracing fine print photography and drawing into my practice, which in 2000, led to my Doctorate research into ‘Drawing With Light’ using the carbon transfer process. My passion is in the analogue potential of historic photographic processes and how these may be employed as fine art mediums. I have established a reputation in the field of public art and have work in both private and public collections in the UK and the USA.