Isobel Harvey
Isobel Harvey’s paintings are rooted in an attentive study of rhythm and pattern in the natural world. Birds, fish, horses and other symbolic forms appear and reappear across her work, their shapes shifting through layers of oil and acrylic. Compositions are built through a process of construction and erasure, where images are overpainted and reconfigured, creating depth, translucency and a sense of quiet, methodical movement. With a background in ceramics, studied at Central Saint Martins, Leeds Arts University and Bath Spa University, Harvey’s early engagement with the vessel as a surface for drawing and colour continues to inform her painting. This grounding in material and form brings a tactile sensitivity to her work. Folk traditions and decorative histories play a subtle role, where geometry and symmetry sit alongside looser, organic motifs.
Her paintings seek to hold both energy and stillness — honouring the vitality of natural forms while bringing colour, pattern and light into the spaces they inhabit.
WORKS
A painting on board by British artist Isobel Harvey, executed in acrylic and oil stick. Two Fish forms part of a group of four works titled The Painted Carnival, a series exploring symmetry, presence and natural rhythm through distilled, stylised forms.
The composition centres on paired motifs, arranged with balance and clarity. The surface is built through layered application, combining flat planes of colour with more gestural mark-making. Harvey’s visual language draws on the natural world while maintaining a graphic, almost emblematic quality.
Originally from England and now based in Amsterdam, Harvey is a contemporary artist known for her structured compositions and intuitive approach to surface. Her practice references folk art, printmaking and textile design, situating observed forms within a pared-back, contemporary framework.
Origin: British
Period/Style: Contemporary
Date: 2026
Material: Acrylic and oil stick on board
Dimensions: 50cm height × 40cm width
+ Shipping Info
A painting on board by British artist Isobel Harvey, executed in acrylic and oil stick. Tiger forms part of a group of four works titled The Painted Carnival, a series exploring symmetry, presence and natural rhythm through distilled, stylised forms.
The composition centres on a singular, emblematic motif, rendered with a sense of balance and quiet intensity. The surface is built through layered application, combining flat planes of colour with more gestural mark-making. Harvey’s visual language draws on the natural world while maintaining a graphic, almost symbolic clarity.
Originally from England and now based in Amsterdam, Harvey is a contemporary artist known for her structured compositions and intuitive approach to surface. Her practice references folk art, printmaking and textile design, situating observed forms within a pared-back, contemporary framework.
Origin: British
Period/Style: Contemporary
Date: 2026
Material: Acrylic and oil stick on board
Dimensions: 50cm height × 40cm width