Katherine Borkowski-Byrne has always considered drawing and painting as her first language. She describes painting as “a purely visual language that speaks to the eyes as music speaks to the ears.” She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) and received a B.F.A. in 1986 from Tufts University. While there, she was honored to receive an award by one of the most famous living artists, Frank Stella, serving as the judge for a competition for independent student work. Her work was included at the renown Harcus Gallery on Newbury Street in 1985, as “Museum School Future Alumni.” During the years of 1993 - 2018 before the School was made part of Tufts University, SMFA had a Medici Society, where, with very few exceptions, she was continuously awarded membership therein for the amount of sales at the Annual Sale.
Her current work falls into the category of painterly abstraction where she enjoys painting to opera and using experimental techniques and tools, including attaching long-haired brushes to a mop handle and painting with old socks. Her influences include the German Expressionists, the NY School of Abstract Expressionists and the philosophy and ideas found in Zen Buddhism, particularly with “being in the moment.”
Her inspiration comes mostly from looking at great paintings and often from looking at the natural world of clouds, trees, bodies of water, and reflections; however, once she is painting, she lets go of any beginning ideas and allows the painting to take on its own direction. It is the “not knowing” that makes each piece an adventure.