“In my paintings, I am inspired by the beguiling beauty of the natural world and the sense of well-being and bounty it represents. The simplest subject matter can be invested with a wealth of personal emotion. In capturing the ornamental and atmospheric character of an apple , a sunflower or a landscape, I can record the abundance of nature and celebrate the ‘here and now.’ It is a victory, however temporary, over the unknown.”
- Katherine Steiger

Katherine Steiger developed her original technique of mixed media painting while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. After graduating with a degree in Fine Arts, Steiger worked in New York City for a few years, before moving to the Washington area. She had her first one-person show at the Spectrum Gallery in Georgetown. The exhibit was reviewed in the Washington Post:

“With all due homage to Matisse, Kate Steiger’s ‘Bulldog with Pillows’ demonstrates an exuberant imagination and evident mastery of technique.”
- Meryle Secrest, The Washington Post

In November 2003, two paintings by Steiger were selected for the juried benefit exhibit, “Art for Art’s Sake” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She has had over twenty one-woman shows in the Washington area. In their discussion of her latest Spectrum show, the Georgetowner Newspaper wrote:

“Sometimes an interior landscape opens to an exterior one. The artist interweaves flowers, fruit, furniture and finely patterned fabrics, into a rich tapestry, with textures varying from moderate impasto to flat areas of paint or collaged areas of baroque design. The technique infuses these paintings with luminous warmth.”
- Mark Longaker, The Georgetowner

Steiger’s work is included in many corporate and private collections, she has done painting demonstrations, and been a guest lecturer at colleges. She is represented by galleries and art consultants throughout the United States and has participated in the Department of State’s Art in the Embassy Program. Following is a selected list of her exhibits:

  • 2008 - William Ris Gallery, Stone Harbor, New Jersey
  • 2007 - Strathmore Hall Art Center, Bethesda Maryland
  • 2006 - Little Art Gallery, Raleigh, North Carolina
  • 2005 - Gallery on Merchants Square, Williamsburg, Virginia
  • 2005 - Patron’s Gallery, Denver, Colorado
  • 2003 - The Pavilion, Villa Julie College, Stevenson, Md.
  • 2002 - Morgan Peyton Fine Arts At The Boar’s Head Inn, Charlottesville,Va.
  • 2001 - Strathmore Hall Art Center, Bethesda, Maryland
  • 2001 - Anne Irwin Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
  • 2000 - Spectrum Gallery, Washington, D.C.
  • 1996 - Spectrum Gallery, Washington, D.C.
  • 1993 - Originals Gallery, Del Mar, California
  • 1991 - Shada Gallery, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 1989 - Partners Gallery, Bethesda, Maryland
  • 1982 - Barbara Gillman Gallery, Miami Florida
  • 1978 - Piccolo Mondo Gallery, Palm Beach, Florida



Artist's Statement

After living and working in Washington D.C. and its suburbs for most of my career, I relocated to the Seattle area last year. Since the move to the West Coast, I find my work growing looser and larger in scale. My new studio in Edmonds gives me the opportunity to work on larger canvases, and the ever changing light and landscape, both sky and sea, encourage a new more abstract and atmospheric quality to my landscapes.

In addition to my work with acrylic on museum board and oil on canvas, I have started a new series of mixed media collages, “At the Court”, influenced by Icons, often with elaborate borders, incorporating bits of silk, antique papers, sealing wax and calligraphy.

Regardless of the medium, I continue my exploration of color and pattern, creating an increasingly intricate and intriguing painterly surface, encouraging the viewer to explore the painting.