After studying Graphic Art & Design at RMIT in the seventies, disillusionment with the materialistic nature of city life inspired her and her partner to opt for a life of ‘self sufficiency’ in the country and they eventually settled near Bega in New South Wales. For the next decade or so Katherine's creative activity focussed solely on earthy pursuits such as building, growing and harvesting fruit and vegetables, spinning and weaving, raising farm animals and parenting.

By 1990 she was, to say the least, keen to start painting again. Even a lack of electricity didn’t hamper her determination. After harrowing days of physical toil she would paint kneeling over her bed, a flickering gas light the only source of illumination. Suffering for her art was definitely a reality!

Early work concentrated on natural themes of sea, space and plants, exploring extremes of scale from forest floors to aerial views of the coastline. In recent years her work has evolved from quite detailed illustrative studies to abstract expressionism. Later work continues to be inspired by the landscape but other influences such as an interest in Buddhist philosophy and life’s experiences also inform the work.

She uses wood stains, a blow torch, chisels and pyrographic equipment on plywood panels, and believes the physical process of burning the wood simulates an act of nature.

Having returned to live in the city, concentrating on landscapes is her way of remembering and keeping in touch with a rural environment. She attempts to express emotion by creating a series of ‘felt’ landscapes. In the same way as a poet uses landscape to convey a sense of love, passion, sorrow or tenderness she abstracts elements from nature to compose in colour, texture and line her own kind of poetry in visual form. These subjective and emotive landscapes evolve from juxtaposing areas of blackness and stark white against subtle layers of translucent tone.

The work is punctuated by a range of textural effects from delicate scratchings and scorch marks to gouges and deep burnings. Here the mystery and beauty of the natural world and the depth of the human heart are explored to dramatic effect.

Awards and Grants

2005-6 Six month studio residency in Umbria, Italy

2002 Leichhardt City Council & Glebe Chamber of Commerce, 3 month studio residency, NSW

2001 NSW Ministry of the Arts, 3 month studio residency, Gunnery Studios, Sydney

1998 Bega Valley Art Awards, Bega Regional Gallery, Major Award - Acquisitive

1997 Bega Valley Art Awards, Bega Regional Gallery, Major Award - Acquisitive

Collections

Q1 Resort, Gold Coast, QLD

Kirra Surf, Gold Coast, QLD

Reflections, Gold Coast, QLD

Bega Valley Shire Regional Art Gallery, NSW

Western Mining Corporation, Melbourne, VIC

Sheraton Hotel, Sydney, NSW

The Chelsea Hotel, Darlinghurst, NSW

Mandale Heights, Singapore

Conrad Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast, Qld

Private collections in Australia and overseas

Exhibitions
2004 Finalist, Cromwell Art Prize, NSW
2004 SOHO Galleries, Sydney, NSW - solo
2004 PERIDES Gallery, Brisbane,QLD - solo
2004 ARTEFACT, Melbourne, VIC
2003 Finalist, McGivern Art Prize - Melbourne
2003 ARTEFACT, Melbourne, VIC - solo
ART IMAGES Gallery, Adelaide,SA
SOHO Galleries, Sydney NSW - solo
2002 SOHO Galleries, Sydney, NSW - solo
2002 SOHO Galleries, Singapore Art Fair, Australian High Commission, Singapore
ARTEFACT Melbourne, VIC - solo
Treasury Place / ARTEFACT, Melbourne
ART IMAGES Gallery, Norwood SA
2001 SOHO Galleries, Sydney, NSW, solo
2000 SOHO Galleries, Leichhardt, NSW, solo
Bulle Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, solo
Finalist - Fleurieu Prize, Regional Gallery, McLaren Vale, SA
Finalist - McLaren Vale Prize, Regional Gallery, McLaren Vale,SA
Finalist – Redlands Westpac Art Prize, Mosman, NSW
1999 Finalist - Redlands Westpac Art Prize, Mosman, NSW
1998 Old Bank Gallery, Pambula, NSW, solo
1996 Narek Gallery, Canberra, ACT, solo
1995 Hidden Valley Art Gallery, Bodalla, NSW, solo
Gorman House Arts Centre, Canberra, solo
1994 Bega Regional Gallery,Bega, NSW
1992 Bilyara Gallery, Bournda, NSW
1991 Bilyara Gallery, Bournda, NSW, solo
Victorian Women’s Trust Building, Melb., VIC

Subterranean (850 x 1200)
mixed media on ply

Subterranean #3 (1200 x 1600mm)
Mixed Media on Board

Subterranean #4 (1200 x 1600mm)
Mixed Media on Board

Prototype 1 (320 x 620)
mixed media on board framed

Prototype 2 (320 x 620)
mixed media on board framed

Prototype 3 (320 x 620)
mixed media on board

Curvature No 2 (1600 x 1200mm)
mixed media on board

Moon Bay Tryptich (800 x 400mm each)
mixed media on oak

Near & Far 4 (1600 x 590mm)
mixed media on stringy bark

Two Fold Bay (1200 x 780mm)
mixed media on celery top pine

Pienza (1200 x 1200)
mixed media on oak