San Román Art

About the artist

Catalina San Román (1998) is a Spanish artist and illustrator whose career has unfolded between Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan. She currently lives in Kyoto. She holds a degree in Fine Arts from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and studied East Asian Studies at the University of Salamanca.

Her work combines watercolour, ink and mixed media to explore nature, memory and human experience, with particular attention to femininity, cycles of transformation and the beauty of imperfection.

Process

Each piece begins with an observation: a texture, a shape or a small detail that invites you to pause. From there, drawing and layers of colour build an image that keeps the trace of the gesture and the spontaneity of the process.

In her works with volume, the elements are arranged, layered and joined until they find a balance between presence and emptiness. Irregularities are part of the work; every decision lets the details breathe and keeps the whole in its own calm.

Watercolour of a small blue-green being looking up at a grey rat from behind drooping white flowers, over moss and fallen leaves.

Behind The Lilies

Watercolour

Career, exhibitions and achievements

Exhibitions and art projects

  • 2024 · Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, United Kingdom. Took part in the Young Creatives programme, in an internationally renowned museum setting.
  • January 2025 · “Aka Tsuki”, Jelly, Reading, United Kingdom. Her work shown in the Artist Pod space and shop window.
  • July 2025 · “Memorias tangibles” (Tangible memories). Final degree project on the relationship between memory and matter.
  • 2025 · SentArte, Spain. Winning proposal “El banco” (The bench), a project that brings art into shared public space.
  • October 2025 · Centro de Arte La Fuente, Spain. Solo exhibition, 1–15 October.
  • Summer 2026 · GOOD NATURE STATION, Kyoto, Japan. Took part in a digital exhibition organised with HACKK TAG, with the work “The Hare’s Good Nature”.

Recognition and media

  • Recognition from HACKK TAG, August 2026, with an invitation to exhibit at GOOD NATURE HOTEL, Kyoto.
  • Her work featured on NHK WORLD-JAPAN, in the programme “BIZ STREAM”, as part of its coverage of the exhibition project. Watch
  • Featured on TOKYO FM, in the programme “ONE MORNING”, in August 2026.
  • “El banco” selected as the winning proposal of SentArte, 2025.

Education and professional experience

  • Degree in Fine Arts, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
  • East Asian Studies, University of Salamanca.
  • Events assistant at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2023–2025.
  • Visual merchandising and customer service at Anthropologie, Oxford.
  • Art teacher at Cygnets Art School, Oxford, 2023.
  • Independent illustration practice, with commissions for international clients.
  • Kintsugi workshops in Kyoto, bringing a traditional craft to visitors from many countries.

Illustration projects and commissions

  • Natural history illustration for “Tracks of Japan / Kintaro Explorer Notebook”, with Japanese wildlife, characters and landscapes.
  • Visual development of the children’s book “I slipped on a poo”, including cover and illustrations.
  • Contribution to the “Pisces” oracle card project.
  • Commissions in editorial illustration, children’s books and young adult fiction.
  • Scientific illustrations of insects, including a bumblebee, a butterfly and a beetle.
  • Cover design for the music release “No hay otro modo”.
  • Botanical illustration, embroidery designs and personalised works for private clients.