Kate Petley constructs abstract paintings by first creating temporary and dramatically lit sculptural arrangements that are photographed and printed. Further alterations to the surface may include hand painted areas that are not readily apparent. The resulting images have a cinematic appearance that expresses the transformation of materials through light and color. Physical sensation is prioritized.

Petley has been featured in thirty solo exhibitions and is represented by Von Lintel Gallery in Los Angeles, Robischon Gallery in Denver, and Manneken Press in Bloomington, Illinois.  Her work has been featured in publications such as Artforum’s Must See, Lenscratch, L’Oeil de la Photographie,  and the Houston Chronicle. Recent catalogue essays include Digital Visions by Saul Ostrow for the Grinnell College Museum of Art. 

In 2021, Petley had a major solo exhibition at the University of Colorado Art Museum and simultaneously served as Guest Curator for the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. The Stubborn Influence of Painting included nine artists from across the US and London and occupied the entire museum. 

She has participated in solo and group exhibitions at the MCA Denver, FotoFest Houston, Museum of South Texas, Nicolaysen Art Museum, Martin Museum of Art at Baylor University, Museum of the Southwest, and the Arlington Museum of Art. Petley participated in PhotoIreland 2017 in Dublin and is a Ucross Foundation fellowship recipient. In 1990, she was awarded an NEA Rockefeller Foundation grant in support of a photographic installation exhibited at Diverseworks Houston. Her work is held in private and public collections including the University of Colorado Art Museum (CUAM), the City of Houston, the Polsinelli Collection, New York Presbyterian Hospital, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Howard Hughes Company and others.

Petley received a BFA cum laude from the University of Utah in 1976 in Sculpture and Ceramics. She lives and works in New York.