PAT CASTLE

Now based in Stoke Newington, Hackney, Pat Castle was born in London in 1928 and remains active as an artist in her nineties. Grounded in a love for drawing nurtured in early life at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, the subjects of her paintings, prints, and drawings range from still life to landscape, and reflect the inspiration of both English landscape, and her travels in Spain, France, America, and Morocco. A recipient of the Greenwood Prize for drawing, Castle’s work is representational but highly individual; the rich intensity of her oil paintings and work on paper are created through the use of a carefully restricted palate and the desire to achieve a well-balanced design that will draw the viewer into the picture.

When in Ramsgate in the early 1970’s, alongside her career as an artist, Pat Castle played a pivotal role in community affairs. With the support of the Civic Trust, and Thanet District Council she instigated the Restoration of Ramsgate project that led to the preservation of many of Ramsgate’s heritage buildings. She also opened the Addington Street Gallery for exhibiting her own work along with that of other artists.

Her work has been exhibited by the Welcome Trust, Lloyds of London, and Price Waterhouse, and she has participated in the Southwark Festival. A featured artist at the Boulogne Festival, her work has also been represented overseas by the Heritage Gallery, Louisiana. She has shown with the Royal Society of British Artists, The Royal Society of Marine Artists, and The Society of Women Artists. Two recent one-person exhibitions, ‘Creative Life’ (Artifact Gallery 2016) and ‘Paintings of Morocco’ (Hackney Showroom 2023), celebrated the fruitful longevity of her continuing practice.