Tribal Girl

I have a fascination with all things tribal.
When i was little, my Dad use to tell me tales of living and working in Africa during the 50s and 60s. He was a miner and eventually contracted TB which is how my family ended up leaving England for a warmer climate in the pacific.

This artwork is an experimentation of using charcoal directly onto a wooden panel primed in gesso, resulting in a more painterly style of work.
Background is "Moss Green."

Artwork has been signed by Kati Garrett Filho and sprayed sealed with an archival protective coat.
This Original Artwork Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and is ready to be hung.
NB: Can be hung directly over a wall hook with the edge of the cradle - no wire has been attached.

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I’m Kati Garrett Filho, a self-taught artist based on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. I work across two quiet but emotionally resonant practices:

~ hyper-realistic charcoal portraits of women dressed in midcentury elegance

~ detailed paintings of birds perched on midcentury ceramics, rendered on paper or board. 

My work is rooted in nostalgia. Whether drawing from a bygone era's poised aesthetic or everyday objects' quiet endurance, I explore the emotional weight that lingers in stillness, memory, and softness. I’m drawn to the slow pace of handcraft, to times when care was etched into the surface of things. 

Each of my portraits evolve through delicate, deliberate strokes — charcoal gently sculpted into realism, revealing not just a likeness, but mood, atmosphere, and story. Often I write short narrative vignettes to accompany each figure - like fragments from a novel - inviting the viewer into an imagined world.

The birds and pots are intricate works painted with great detail to capture reflections and mood.

For me, art is a way to hold space for beauty, stillness and the small things that outlast their time.  My work speaks to collectors who value craftsmanship, subtlety, and the layered storytelling that lives in materials and memory.

(For further details please visit my portfolio site www.katigarrettfilho.art )