jo watters-pawlowski

Jo Watters-Pawlowski is a British abstract landscape painter based in Ditchling, Sussex. Her background in textile design has been pivotal in her unique approach to landscape painting. She composes each painting to capture the natural forms, patterns, and rhythms using a sensitive colour palette that connects her artist's eye to focus on the often overlooked details within the countryside. 

Jo holds two solo shows yearly at N0.37 her open house gallery, 37 High Street, Ditchling. There, she creates a welcoming environment, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in her art and engage in conversations to gain further insights into her practice. Jo's work is in private collections in the USA, Europe, Australia, and the UK.

In collaboration with artist Nina Archer, Jo co-founded WAC (Watters Archer Collective), a core group of two contemporary landscape painters who exhibit together in galleries across the UK.

Email jowp.art@gmail.com to ask about specific paintings, or arrange a studio visit. Not all the paintings are priced, please ask directly.
Individual art consultations are welcome.

Annual exhibitions:

MAY: N0.37 Brighton Artists Open Houses every weekend and Bank Holidays.

SEPTEMBER: Artwave Festival - N0.37 Open House

WAC Collective wacartists.co.uk

Instagram page: @jowatterspawlowskiartist

Past Exhibitions

MAY 2024 N0.37 gallery, 37, High Street, Ditchling, BN6 8SY

JULY 2024 WAC Collective, Hay-on-Wye

Tarpey Gallery Open 2024

SEPTEMBER 2024 Artwave Festival,

SPRING Cheltenham 2023 WAC Artists

WAC Artists N0.37, Ditchling, East Sussex BN6 8SY

ARTWAVE FESTIVAL 30th Anniversary 2023

2023 Selected for Celebrate Cuckmere Haven: Wild Blue Spaces

SPRING Cheltenham Small Works Show 11 - 31 December 2023

The Regency town House, 40th aniversary Artists Open Houses, 13 Brunswick Square, Hove BN3 1EH 12-29 May 2022

Group Show - Lewes House, Lewes, Sussex (2019)
Gordon Dodds, London: mixed show (2019)
Nadia Waterfield Fine Art, The Autumn Hampshire Art Fair (2018)

Selected Contemporary Design Show: 1982 - 1994
The Direct Design Show: Chelsea Old Town Hall, London. The Direct Design Show, Kensington Town Hall, London
Contemporary Interior Design Show, Business Design Centre, Islington,London
The Direct Design Show, Royal Horticulture Halls, Westminster, London
Contemporary Textile Design Show, Orangery, Holland Park, London - representing the Chartered Society of Designers (formally Society of Industrial Artists)
The Society of Illustrators Artists & Designers - DipSIAD, London Society of Designer Craftsman London (LSDC), London

Projects and commissions 2003 - 2022
Westray, Orkney, oil on board - 2022
Hay Bluff, Hay on Wye, Hereford, oil painting- 2022
Allasdale Bay, Barra, Outer Hebrides, Oil on canvas, John Brockliss, Brighton (2019)
‘Composition’ oil and gold leaf on paper, La Grande Maison d’Athenay, Saumur, France (2014)
‘Zoom’ Art & Jazz collaboration with musician Herbie Flowers: painting workshops & live jazz at several venues across Sussex. (2000 to 2005)
’The colour of music’ acrylic on paper, painting based on Richard Strauss’s instrumental work ‘Metamorphosen’ for Herbie Flowers, musician, Sussex (2003)
Koestler Arts - Presentation and Lecture on ‘Therapeutic Importances of Art, Education, and Mental Health in Secure Units’ Royal Festival Hall, London (2011, 2013, 2016)
‘Trauma and the value of art’ - Case study presentation, National Conference for Occupational Therapy, Harrogate Convention Centre, Harrogate, North Yorkshire (2004)

History: Jo was born in Ghana, West Africa, and spent her childhood living in West Africa, the Middle East, and Thailand. Jo studied textile design at Worthing College of Art & Design and Winchester School of Art; after graduating, she set up a textile and surface print studio in Sussex (1984 to 1996) as a freelance textile designer and fabric printer. Jo worked for interior designers, stylists and private clients. She exhibited at interior design shows in the UK and Europe and sold designs through her agent. Drawing and painting were the foundation of her design work, and later she transitioned to pure painting. Jo pursued a second career to train as a specialist teacher and arts educator, working in Secure Mental Health Services. Alongside a full time post she maintained her art practice. Since retirement Jo concentrates purely on her career as a painter.

Fresh: Art Fair Alexandra Palace WAC Collective with guest artists 31 January - 2 February 2025 11.00 am - 6.00 pm

Private view evening: 30 January 5.30-9pm Stand B7 Alexandra Palace, London N22 7AY

Complimentary tickets for the fair

MAY 2025 N0.37 Artists Open Houses, 37 High Street Ditchling, BN6 8SY

SEPTEMBER 2025 Artwave Festival, Open House Gallery No37 High Street, Ditchling BN6 8SY

MAY 2024 N0.37 gallery, 37, High Street, Ditchling, BN6 8SY

JULY 2024 WAC Collective, Hay-on-Wye

Tarpey Gallery Open 2024

SEPTEMBER 2024 Artwave Festival,

SPRING Cheltenham 2023 WAC Artists

WAC Artists N0.37, Ditchling, East Sussex BN6 8SY

ARTWAVE FESTIVAL 30th Anniversary 2023

2023 Selected for Celebrate Cuckmere Haven: Wild Blue Spaces

SPRING Cheltenham Small Works Show 11 - 31 December 2023

The Regency town House, 40th aniversary Artists Open Houses, 13 Brunswick Square, Hove BN3 1EH 12-29 May 2022

Email: jowp.art@gmail.com
follow @jowatterspawlowskiartist
Contact: 07926 082354

https://aoh.org.uk/93389-2/ Ditchling Artist Jo Watters-Pawlowski Artists Open House 2022 Blog

This collection of landscape paintings evokes a feeling of being somewhere and nowhere. Bold gestures and colour lend abstraction to the image. Forms resemble familiar landmarks but are distorted, encouraging viewers to see beyond the obvious. These paintings have no noticeable skyline to challenge perception, blurring the line between reality and imagination. They prompt reflection on the subjective nature of experiencing the landscape of South Downs and further afield.

All work is professionally framed in a bespoke hand-sprayed frame. The frame's colour is carefully chosen to complement the white undertones detected in each piece.

Small paintings are a constant in my collection, often a composition of an idea that can go on to form the basis of more extensive work. All work is professionally framed in bespoke hand-sprayed wooden frames, finished colour, white or off-white matt.

Please DM for further information.

Work on paper using oil, inks, and other mediums. They are professionally framed in bespoke hand-finished frames using museum glass.

I have paper work unframed available.

Please DM for further information.

My transition from the textile industry to painting was not a departure but a natural evolution. Being a trained textile designer and surface printer has shaped my style and approach to painting. It sharpened my visual understanding of form, proportion, colour, and mark-making to develop my skills as an abstract landscape painter, translating a landscape's perspective of natural patterns and rhythmic forms.

I visually reference a landscape using charcoal, ink, and/or water base paint to map out simple lines and colour notes. In the studio, I use oil paint to translate my initial ideas and form the basis of a painting. I like the fluidity of oil paint, enjoy the colour mixing process, and use the drying time. I set down several layers as I work to create impressions of depth, light, underlying textures, and shapes. Each painting takes several weeks to complete, but it allows me to work collectively on different surfaces and sizes, such as canvas, wood panels, or paper.

My artwork does not accurately represent a landscape's visual reality. However, the abstract style, using shapes, colours, forms, and gestural marks, is my response to what I see and feel when walking in the countryside.

Email jowp.art@gmail.com to ask about specific paintings or call 07926 082354 for any other enquiries.

To represent the interests of each client, I am happy to arrange art consultations and studio visits. 

Not all of my work is shown on my website.