About Kathryn

Kathryn Parsons
 


I am a visual artist and maker. My work explores human relationships to place and nature, including histories, habitat restoration, care and belonging.

I live on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens, a fascinating place rich in history and biodiversity. Moving here in early adulthood, discovering the land's true stories helped me feel truly at home. I’m also passionate about nature conservation, and through lived experience I've come to believe that knowing the stories of a place both enriches lives and deepens our sense of connectedness and custodianship. And so, through my work I help re-story the land and celebrate the work of those who care for nature, whether on reserves or in museums and heritage locations.

Found in the Fields, detail


My approach is project-based, researched through processes including walking, reading, mapping and conversation with communities and other experts - allowing time and space for ideas, networks and relationships to develop and deepen. My artworks weave together these rich strands of true story and meaning, whilst inviting greater ecological awareness and care.

I use materials and techniques that best tell the tale, favouring hand-processes and materials with low environmental impact... though (whilst fully aware of my contradictions) I sometimes still choose porcelain as a way to speak of the fragility and preciousness of nature.

"I Found the Poems in the Fields" (detail) porcelain plants by Kathryn Parsons


With photographer and ecologist Sarah Lambert, we are Langdyke Countryside Trust's Artists in Residence. Following a residency with GroundWork Gallery in 2023, I am now a member of GroundWork Network and working on a project about the ecosystems of The Wash.


Kathryn Parsons