Under A Hot Sun: Sarah Pickstone in conversation with Kathryn Maple

Since winning the John Moores Prize in 2020, Kathryn Maple has been working towards an ambitious new show, ‘Under a Hot Sun’, opening at The Walker Art gallery in Liverpool this February.  In this conversation, Kathryn comes together to discuss her work with artist Sarah Pickstone ( a previous winner of the John Moores Prize )  The two will discuss the ideas behind paintings, studio patterns and the importance of keeping paintings growing together, as well as drawing, which feeds into all of Kathryn’s work.   

Kathryn will also show images from ‘A Year of Drawings’, a new book and exhibition for which Kathryn made a new drawing everyday between January and December 2022. The works will be shown at Lyndsey Ingram Gallery, London in March. 

Kathryn Maple, Paper Hats, Oil on Canvas, 124 (h)x166cm (w), 2022 

Kathryn Maple  

Kathryn Maple was born in Canterbury in 1989, and lives and works in South London. 

She graduated in 2011 with a degree in fine art printmaking from the University of Brighton, before undertaking The Drawing Year postgraduate programme at the Royal Drawing School in 2012–13. Maple has featured in exhibitions at numerous venues in London including Barber & Lopes at the British Art Fair; The Royal Academy; Beers London; Flowers Gallery; Frestonian Gallery; Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery; Albert Studios; and Drawing Room. Venues outside London include Christies New York and Messums Wiltshire. Maple was the winner of the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2014 and 2016, and the John Moores Painting Prize 2020. Her exhibition Under a Hot Sun at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 2023, was awarded to Maple as part of her prize for winning the latter. 

Sarah Pickstone  

Sarah Pickstone works from her studio at Cubitt in central London.  

Recent public work includes ‘An Allegory of Painting’, a site specific work for the Royal Academy London in 2019 and ‘The Return’ at Kingsgate Project Space London in 2022. 

She has exhibited extensively including Southwark Park Galleries, London, Kukje Gallery, Seoul and the Museum of the Himalayers, Shanghai. 

In 2012 she won the John Moores Painting Prize, and was a runner up for the prize in 2004. Sarah studied at the Royal Academy Schools and the University of Newcastle. She won the Rome prize for painting in 1991, spending a year at the British School at Rome, which made a big impact on her practice. 

Sarah is a member of faculty at the Royal Drawing School and a studio mentor at Turps Banana Painting school.