Katarina Meglic—painter

Katarina Meglic is fascinated with how the human body expresses our histories, uniqueness, and complexity.

“The human figure is a vessel of storytelling,” says Katarina.  Her intimate portraits—whether depicting a salacious kiss, underwater dance, or sleeping child—are compassionate studies of character and experience. Her canvasses are rich with intense colour, expressive line, and thick textures.

“My work is painterly. I clearly love my medium and I don’t try to hide my materials,” she says.

Her work shows the influence of her classical art training and her passion for art-centred travel. “The impressionists and the post-impressionists are huge influences on me, but also I’m not interested in regurgitating work from the past,” she says.

Katarina has studied at the Victoria College of Art, Barcelona Academy of Art, and Florence Classical Arts Academy, and has participated in residencies internationally, with the assistance of the BC Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. She has spent many hours in galleries and museums around the world.

“I’ve been fortunate to visit urban centres that host some of the world’s most magnificent art collections, both contemporary and classical. My studies have helped me develop figurative rendering skills that are very impactful in my work. Also, being exposed to avant-garde and contemporary conceptual art gives me permission to be more playful and experimental in really delightful ways.”

While focussing on the human figure, her paintings often include abstract elements and have a dreamlike quality. “Abstraction helps me convey human experiences like grief and desire.”

While Katarina describes herself as somewhat obsessed with technique—brushstrokes, colour relationships, compositional dynamics—all this is in service to her core focus: the expression of human experience. “I want my work to be vulnerable and honest and emotional—all these things that connect us as people,” she says.

See Katarina’s work on Denman:

Studio: 3711 East Rd. Visits available by appointment.

In the community: Look for Katarina’s paintings and a mural at the Denman Activity Centre (exterior and interior).