For over 30 years Kato Wake has been painting in oil. mixed media, acrylic and cold wax and oil, with styles ranging from realistic to abstraction.

 

For me, the process of making art involves the dance of chaos and control, unconscious play and conscious skill. Elements are often buried, then excavated, lost or saved. Ultimately, what’s important for me is to paint what I think is beautiful, with emotion – colour relationships, a mark or brushstroke, objects, or scenes.

 

My art practice is diverse and project based – for exhibits I create paintings based on investigating a defined theme. I approach my art making through conscious play and curiosity, and find joy in mark making, colour relationships and expressing what I think is beautiful. Having moved from Canada to Portugal, I am taking in the cultural and language differences, and am interested in integrating found or discarded printed street posters into my paintings. I support and encourage personal expression and creativity by sharing my creative process and insights with others through facilitating group workshops and painting holidays.

 

The paintings shown are all sold. To see more work, check out my instagram and facebook feeds. 

Non Representational Paintings

Pouring Down

Mixed Media on Paper, ©Kato Wake 2026

A square painting with blue textures on the top two thirds and green shades covering the bottom third. A thin vibrant orange line separates the two.

Summer Solstice

Cold Wax and Oil on wood panel 24 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

See You on the Other Side, Diptych

Cold wax and Oil on wooden panel, Diptych, 48 x 36 inches each, © Kato Wake 2020

See You on the Other Side detail

Cold wax and Oil on wooden panel, Diptych, 48 x 36 inches each, © Kato Wake 2020

JAZZ 1 HORIZONTAL

Acrylic on linen, 24×36 inches, ©Kato Wake 2025

Happy and summery feeling of abstracted orange and pink tulips come forward against a sky blue background. The shapes are broken with hard edges and become more fragmented at the top of the painting.

Tulipa

Oil on Canvas. 24 x 24 inches © Kato Wake 2017

Fat and lively brush strokes are used in repeated shapes to form an abstracted feeling of eggplants. The colours of magenta and dark purple are contrasted by warm greens and yellows.

Vicki’s Eggplants

Oil on Canvas. 24 x 24 inches © Kato Wake 2016

An abstract square painting using mainly greens and yellows, with a circular globe shape, and other organic circular shapes and thick black and light green grey vertical lines. A thin orange arc shape cuts the triangular green shape. On the left quarter there are organic light blue, orange and purple orange shapes and lines.

World Without End

Mixed media on wooden panel 16 x 16 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

Mainly lime yellow green square painting with organic circular shapes repeated on the top left corner. Blue and black tangled lines take over the bottom of the painting, and an arc shape with orange, pink and blue comes in diagonally on the painting's middle right side. There are scratched lines and dots that create texture.

Joy in the Aftermath

Mixed media on wooden board, 16 x 16 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

conversation in space

Cold wax and Oil on wooden panel, 24 x 24 inches each, © Kato Wake 2021

The shape of a grand piano is the dominant shape, but there is a lot of texture created by scratching lines. The palette is greyed pink, green, and purple. It has a sense of music being played.

Concert

Cold Wax and Oil on wood. 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2021

A joyful painting using saturated colors of blue, lime green, orange, pink, purple and yellow. Rectangular shapes are repeated, along with circles.

Summer Celebration

Cold Wax and Oil on wood. 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2021

A large claw-like orange shape against a blue and white and grey background descends upon skyscrapper shapes. Small repeated rectangles are carved into the background and are darker than the background. A scribbly black line covers the top third of the painting.

Leaving the City

Cold Wax and Oil on wood. 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2021

The feeling of a city and a hot sun. Rectangular city building shapes with small window-like square shapes. Circles and sporadic lines are repeated and it feels busy and congested, in a happy energetic way.

Roads

Cold Wax and Oil on wood. 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2021

Brilliant blue diagonally covers two thirds of the painting surface, and dark grey the other third. Round shapes of white with orange centres float on the blue background. Lines of light blue and black cover the dark area. There are tick marks as if someone was counting.

Nightfall

Cold Wax and Oil on wood. 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2021

The colors are mint green, sky blue and cool red. There are rectangular, circular and oblong shapes with dark lines scratched into the cold wax and oil.

Keeping Score

Cold Wax and Oil on wood. 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2021

Abstract shapes of rectangles, semi-circles and simple line strokes come together with blues, reds and greens.

Find Me

Cold Wax and Oil on wood. 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2021

Using only black, white and grey the feeling is of an aerial view There is a bundle of scratched lines, repeated rectangles and 90 degree angles. It feels like an aerial view of the countryside with trees and buildings.

Family Farm

Cold Wax and Oil on board, 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2020

Using only black, white and grey the feeling is of an aerial view meeting a dark tunnel shape with a white square entrance. There are scratched lines, repeated rectangles and 90 degree angles.

Tunnel Vision

Cold Wax and Oil on board, 6 x 6 inches unframed © Kato Wake 2020

An abstracted painting using blobs of warm colors – orange, purple and blues. Texture was created by dripping paint and embossing texture on wet acrylic paint.

My Colourful Friends

Mixed media on paper, 20 x 20 inches,© Kato Wake 2017

An abstracted painting by Kato Wake using lime green, acqua, orange and dark brown acrylic paint. There are circular shapes on the bottom, contrasted but strong horizontal shapes on the upper third of the painting.

My Colourful Friends

Mixed media on paper, 20 x 20 inches,© Kato Wake 2017

A happy and pretty abstract painting by Kato Wake using sky blue, hot pink, purple and lime green paint. Textures were created by scratching and moving the paint in an energetic fashion. The small circular shapes and lines move freely and are unattached to one another. It feels like joy and summer.

My Colourful Friends

Mixed media on paper, 20 x 20 inches,© Kato Wake 2017

The feeling of water is depicted using blue, green and aqua color. Texture is created by drips swirled in a large circle, and it feels light with lots of movement.

My Colourful Friends

Mixed media on paper, 20 x 20 inches,© Kato Wake 2017

Mix & Match 1

Mix & Match 2

Mix & Match 3

Drama queen new web

Ravenous

Strange Streets web detail

Never Heard of It web

Hand of God web

Printemps web

3 jazz paintings another view

PET PAINTING FINAL web

Representational Paintings

A large rectangular painting by Kato Wake of feet and shadows walking on a city pavement. There is strong black and white contrast, hard and soft edges, and lots of movement.

Toe to Toe

Charcoal, Cold Wax and Oil, 48 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

Dark purple black crows come to the foreground as they fly randomly but in a circle, all in the same direction against a grey and green background. There are drips of grey and black paint to create energy. There is strong contrast between the birds and the background, and the feeling is calm but energetic and foreboding.

Moira

Mixed media on wood panel, 48 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

A monochromatic palette of off white, cream, light burgundy and dark blue greys. Garlics are in a container and the viewer sees them from above. They are strongly lit, casting strong shadows. The garlic stems form vertical lines to contrast the round organic shapes.

Garlic

Oil on wood panel, 40 x 24, © Kato Wake 2020

The feeling of a romantic 18th century master landscape painting. Quiet and beautiful with the sun setting on the water of dark green grasslands with a hilly background in the distance. The sun is sensed by its reflection in the water, and the sky has subdued grey clouds that are atmospheric.

Grasslands

Mixed Media on canvas, 24 x 24 inches © Kato Wake 2021

A large rectangular painting of a quiet Prince Edward County pond with dark green water in late spring or early winter. There is snow on the ground but the pond is not frozen. The pond weaves through a pine forest and wild grasses.

County Pond

Oil on wooden panel, 48 x 24, © Kato Wake 2020

Tulips

Oil on wood panel, 24 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

A monochromatic palette of off white, cream, light burgundy and dark blue greys. Garlics are placed in a bowl and are strongly lit, casting strong shadows. The garlic stems form vertical lines to contrast the round organic shapes.

garlic in bowl

Oil on wood panel, 48 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

Sumac's red and fury flower heads on green stems, but slightly abstracted by using red dripped paint. The background is a soft blue colour and there is a strong contrast of shape with the vertical lines of the stems against the pointed oblong shapes of the sumacs.

Sumacs

Mixed media on canvas, 36 x 24, © Kato Wake 2021

Strong architectural shapes of an old convent ruin are lit up against a blue purple night sky. The columns are majestic, with curves, pointed arches and round window frames.

Convento do Carmo1

Oil on canvas, 48 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

Strong architectural shapes of an old convent ruin are lit up against a blue purple night sky. The columns are majestic, with curves, pointed arches and round window frames.

Convento do Carmo2

Oil on canvas, 48 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

Dunes

Oil on wooden panel, 24 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2019

Milford Storm

Oil on canvas, 24 x 24, © Kato Wake 2020

Winter on East Lake Farm

Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2020

A long rectangular painting of an iconic red Canadian wooden canoe floating on a white and grey modulated background.

RED CANOE

Oil on canvas, 48 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2017

Commute YYZ

Mixed Media on Paper, 48 x 24 inches, © Kato Wake 2015

An aerial drawing of Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall using earthy and black colored conte and charcoal. The drawing by Kato Wake was completed quickly to depict the city's energy.

Roy from Ritz Window

Mixed media on paper, from On A Roll exhibition, 60 x 48 inches © Kato Wake 2015

Beside Roy

Mixed media on paper, from On A Roll exhibition © Kato Wake 2015

A wintery and high contrast painting of 3 pine trees sitting on the edge of an island, surrounded by frozen white snow and steely blue water in the distance. The sky is quiet but full of color – grey, blue, pale yellow and pink. It feels calm and serene.

Lakeshore Lodge

Oil on Canvas. 16 x 16i nches © Kato Wake 2017

sandbanks winter kato wake

The sky is full of movement and color – blue, grey, yellow, pink and purple. The water is still and the silhouette of the forested island is dark and juts out on the right hand side of the dramatic but calm painting.

East Lake View

Acrylic on Canvas. 16 x 16 inches © Kato Wake 2015

Lemons placed in an off white porcelain bowl with strong light and shadows. The view sees them from above, There is a strong contrast of dark and light using dark purple and yellows.

Lemons

Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches © Kato Wake 2016

An old master feeling of a simple and elegant still life painting of lemons in a hand built white ceramic bowl with an indigo blue glaze. The lemons are lit with strong light, on a wood table with a dark background.

Lemons in Buffy’s Bowl

Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches © Kato Wake 2017

The feeling of an old world painting depicting white, grey, dark maroon and burnt orange onions placed in a bowl and seeing it from above on a table background. The thin lines from the onions roots create an energetic show. The still life painting is dark and quiet.

Lorren’s Onions

Oil on canvas 24 x 24, © Kato Wake 2014

Vibrant orange tangerines are placed in an off white bowl, and the light creates strong shadows. An old world painting feeling, where the still life is quietly majestic.

December Tangerines

Oil on wood panel, 40 x 24, © Kato Wake 2020

Irish Dancers, Kato Wake 2021

Cold wax, oil and charcoal on paper mounted on wood panel, 16 x 16 inches © Kato Wake 2021

County Field

Cold Wax and oil on wood panel, 16 x 16 inches, © Kato Wake 2021

View from Ballytoughy More

Acrylic on linen, mounted on wood panel, 60×50 cm, ©Kato Wake 2025

Rebecca’s Cliffs

Acrylic on linen, 14 x 16 in, ©Kato Wake 2025