Sophie McVicar Tate (American, b. 1997) is a watercolorist making narrative paintings that utilize the language of ecological illustration to explore ideas related to the Animal as Symbol, Consciousness, and Internal Landscapes. Inspired jointly by scientific illustration and religious iconography, McVicar Tate creates paintings that reflect a holistic if not contradictory interpretation of the natural world. Born in Chico, California, she spent the majority of her childhood growing up in semi-rural Alabama, which informed her fascination for the brutal and untamed side of the natural world. As a child she learned knitting, needlepoint, and basket weaving in addition to her own personal practice of drawing from observation. McVicar Tate attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she obtained her degrees in art (BFA) and chemistry (BS). McVicar Tate currently lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama where she works as an artist and writer.

Her recent exhibitions include solo shows at Room 412 (2023) and Carnegie Center for the Visual Arts (2021). Her work has also been included in group shows at Red 225 (2024), Gadsden Museum of Art (2024), Space One Eleven (2023), Manifest Gallery (2023), Lowe Mill Arts (2023), and Ground Floor Contemporary (2022). She was recently selected for publication in Booooooom’s Tomorrow’s Talent Vol. 4 (2024).