Inspired by a shared passion for painting and wine, William Watson-West and Kate Morrison’s first ART + WINE event took place in a buzzing dan’s wine bar on a hot August Wednesday night. The joint showcase of recent work by Kate and William alongside a selection of wines from parched curated to go alongside the paintings proved a tremendous success and an exciting new concept.
Kate and William have been on similar paths; both with a background in textile design, both having moved to London from the north of England in the last few years and now working from neighbouring studios in Stoke Newington.
“We quickly realised that we had similar ambitions with our practice and what better way to start a collaboration than with an art and wine night.” William
William’s featured paintings included work from his recent project “Hope: Answers for Loss” and upcoming series “Remedies for Despair”. Both projects use painting as an outlet for emotions and a way of dealing with subjects that are often hard to put into words. Working in an almost flow state, his instinctive way of painting results in works with a raw energy that is palpable to the viewer.
“When I paint, I am baring my soul and my vulnerabilities. It may not be obvious due to the largely abstract nature of my work, but I encourage my viewers to stare into my paintings and let their own emotions flow, and almost open up and confide in each piece.” William
Kate’s work was taken from her THREE LANDS collection which records the connection between three different places in the UK. Having been living and travelling between central London, Newlyn in Cornwall and the Lake District for the last year the project gathers inspiration that has overlayed and merged in her mind creating a range of abstracted works that express an emotional response to the places she’s stayed and journeys between destinations.
“Drawing inspiration from the peripheral spaces in everyday life, I'm drawn to these overlooked corners and details as they crave your attention, yet few peer behind the veil into their hidden worlds. This collection is playful, using materials to push the boundaries and fragility of the lines - visible, emotive and historic.” Kate
As wine-making has become more creative, there are some clear similarities with the creation of art and the emotional aspect involved. When you talk to modern-day wine producers they often talk with a sense of poetry about their craft and in some cases view what they are doing as an art-form in its own right. There is love, passion and raw energy that goes into their production, often trying to create something more than just a drink; something that connects with a place or captures a moment in time.
Pairing the paintings to the wines proved an interesting concept with Kate and William approaching it from slightly different angles.
The pairings were as follows:
Orange: Somos, ’Los Melones’ Dinámicos, Viognier, Australian
WILLIAM WATSON-WEST. RUN. ACRYLIC ON CANVAS. 2024“I paired my painting, “Run”, with Somos’ Los Melones Dinámicos, an Australian orange wine with an interesting backstory. It was unlike any orange wine I’d tried before and as soon as I tasted it I knew it was a match for my painting. Made by a Mexican producer from viognier, unusual for a skin contact wine, it exuded playfulness with a funky tropical edge.
“Run” was painted with a raw energy as I tapped into childhood memories of playing in my parents’ woodland garden and building dens in the hot sun. The wine had a sense of freedom about it and so does my painting.” William
‘THE best orange wine I have ever tasted! You must try this!’ Its aesthetics are just as colourful and happy as its flavour profile. It's joyous and juicy, giving you hints of melon and fresh apricot on the tongue - it dances around your senses! But that’s not all, it's unique in its production, Viognier a white wine grape variety famously grown in Southern France is being made in Australia by an Australian-Mexican duo, Ben Caldwell and Mauricio Ruiz Cantú, they are shaking up the wine industry.
“I paired this wine with my painting ‘SALT. STRAND. PARK.’ A piece from the collection ‘The Mundane Spaces Between Us’ These works are layered paintings, constructed with sheer voile, silk and translucent layers suspended to create the final artwork. This was the painting of choice to pair with this wine because the duo have a rule breaking edge to their wines and it embodies how my paintings are constructed.” Kate
As the wine flowed, other options included a Morgon by Domaine Georges Descombes - a chilled red perfect for a summer evening; a crisp, floral Riesling from Australia’s Adelaide Hills region synonymous with exceptional wine-making and a skin contact blend from Spain.
Chilled Red: Domaine Georges Descombes, Morgon, Gamay, France 2022
This was the most traditional and deep wine we had on the wine pairing list. It's a beautifully fruity and refreshing red with a great depth of concentrated flavour.
“Tradition meets chaos. For me this wine started to resonate even more when I heard about the man behind it. A true artist - eclectic and 100% authentically himself. Megan from Dan's wine described the amazing time she had at the vineyard and experiencing the whirlwind that is Georges Descombes.
I paired this wine with one of my large scale 100x100cm paintings called ‘THREE LANDS’, the catalyst for my recent collection. These paintings record a huge amount of information and at initial glance bombard you with the chaos of my inner monologue - I really felt akin to Georges Descombes' process of making wine. “ Kate
“What I feel is one of my most successful paintings to date, ‘Anguish’ was my choice to pair with this wine. As Kate intimates, Georges Descombes is quite a character and hearing about his wine-making process, “Anguish” seemed apt. I love the idea that a wine can be borne from similar challenges and emotions to those my paintings are motivated by.” William
White: Worlds Apart, 'In The Flowers', Riesling, Australia 2023
KATE MORRISON. INSTITUTION BREAKERS. MIXED MEDIA ON WOOD. 2024
“Gorgeous! This was love at first sip. Light, fresh and perfect for the hot weather we are currently having. I instantly felt the ‘I’m on holiday enjoying the sun on my shoulders vibe’ there is simply no messing with it which is why I paired it with my bold composition of ‘INSTITUTION BREAKERS’ this painting is from the collection ‘STEADFAST’ which draws on feelings of familiarity and home, painting in a flow state of repetition each mark holding a powerful form.” Kate
“The acid pop of this wine, synonymous with riesling, seemed the perfect pairing for ‘Beyond Reach’, a painting that has a pop of pink against green, one of my favourite colour combinations. I enjoyed playing with the senses and it’s something I’m keen to push further.” William
Orange: Tanca Els Ulls, 'La Lleona', Cartoixà de Marina, Spain 2022
KATE MORRISON. STORM. WOVEN. SHIP. MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS BOARD. 2024
“This is a well bodied deep ‘skinsy’ orange wine. The initial smell and hit of flavour is from a process called reduction in the wine where the bottling / corking process allows for a slight activation and sparkle to happen making it ‘salty’.
This is a beautiful wine that I paired with my painting ‘STORM. WOVEN. SHIP.’ A piece from my collection ‘SUBLIMINAL’ the neutral and calm colour palette struck me when taking my first sip of ‘La Lleona’ as the depth and unusual nature instantly connected to the ethereal nature of my painting. - Delicious with Parma Ham wrapped around a Crostini!” Kate
“When I tasted ‘La Lleona’ I immediately thought of my painting, Longing. Part of my ‘Remedies for Despair’ collection, I painted it in an almost flow state; something I talked about in my previous blog post. Something about this wine just worked with the painting. It’s hard to put into words why (which is why you need to try some of our pairings next time!), but it was such an interesting experience how the flavours stimulated parts of our brains that must be quite similar to the visual stimulus of my paintings.” William
There is a synergy between art and wine that is more than just a welcome drink at an exhibition preview and ART & WINE demonstrates that. After the resounding success of this first event, you can expect more to come in the not too distant future.
