Katy Papineau is an artist based in London. Ever since she was a child, reading books has driven her impulse to draw and paint. Literature, poetry and fairy stories are a big influence on the symbols and colours in her paintings. Papineau mixes her own paint from pigment, and often incorporates monoprint and collage into her paintings.

‘The series of paintings I am currently making explores themes of theatricality, dressing up and decoration within the home. I found that the limitations of lockdown have pushed my work towards everyday, intimate subjects. I think my desire to paint decorative interiors and repetitive patterns has been driven by the long period without much to look at other than myself, my boyfriend, and the inside of my flat – and the time spent reading interiors magazines, daydreaming about painting my walls pink and green.’

‘Books and poems tend to be the starting points for my paintings. I don’t usually make work about any one specific story. Instead I look for my subjects by pulling together ideas and imagery from modern literature, fairy tales, art history, mythology and film. I’m particularly interested in female archetypes that persist across time periods and genres of storytelling. I’ve also been thinking a lot recently about decoration, and the stories that clothing, colour and interiors can tell.

Mirrors are a symbol I’ve been preoccupied with for a while. The act of looking in the mirror can stand for so many different things, and its meaning for me has really evolved since I first started making work about the subject. This painting comes part from imagination, part from a scene I set up at home and photographed. I used dry pigment mixed with watercolour medium; collage; and a little bit of crayon. It’s important to me to mix up the paint myself, because it means I have more control over its intensity and texture. It also means that I can layer the colour in a way that I wouldn’t be able to with pre-mixed water-based paint.’