Kate Barton (also known as, WarPaintKate) is a Texas-based artist with over 20 years of experience, known for creating bold, large-scale pieces that capture the beauty and spirit of West Texas. Inspired by the rugged landscapes and wildlife of the region, her work bursts with vivid colors and dynamic dark desert energy. Exhibiting in smaller shows across Central Texas, Kate brings the vast deserts and wild creatures of the Lone Star State to life on canvas.

Having explored the region for the past decade, Kate has studied its wildlife firsthand, guided by the expertise of her fiancé, a wildlife biologist with decades of experience in the Trans-Pecos region. Her work captures not only the vivid energy of desert landscapes and animals but also the haunting balance of life and death that defines the wild. 

This body of work began in Marfa, where Kate painted barefoot in the dirt outside her cabin, sourcing supplies from the local art store. That connection to the land—both raw and immediate—infuses her paintings with an authenticity that speaks to the soul of the desert. Her work invites viewers into a world where nature is both mystical and merciless, where the land shapes its inhabitants, and where color becomes as wild as the subjects it portrays.

The inspiration for Kate’s West Texas animal series struck in a haunting and unforgettable moment. Standing in the Chihuahuan Desert, she watched a herd of aoudad sheep scale a rugged mountainside, their powerful forms moving in perfect harmony with the land while watching her. At that same instant, her gaze fell to the ground—where a weathered skull rested at her feet. It was a stark reminder of the relentless cycle of life and death in the wild, a balance both brutal and beautiful. That vision became the heartbeat of her work, capturing the raw, untamed spirit of West Texas through bold color and evocative scenes.