ABOUT KATE
Kate had no formal art training. After retiring and moving to Mallacoota a friend and renown Botanical Artist encourage her to start drawing. Starting with an online course learning the basics of shape, form, and colour theory and use of graphite and watercolours.
The influence of birds around her home inspired Kate to further online workshops which taught her techniques to start painting birds. Having the birds so near enabled her to observe their movement, expressions, habits, and colours. Kate’s eye for detail enables her to portray the most minute features of her birds.
ABOUT MALLACOOTA
Mallacoota is an ornithological paradise, a small town 500km from Melbourne, population 1000 approx. Prior to retirement on her visits to Mallacoota Kate had started photographing the birds around Mallacoota. In retirement she and her husband travelled extensively around Australia and on these trip’s taking photographs of fauna and flora was her passion.
The Summer Fires of 2019/20 had a major impact on Mallacoota its residents and tourists. Kate was the Mallacoota Chairperson of an organisation tasked with assisting those affected by the fires and direct involvement with the evacuation of thousands of tourists from Mallacoota. This evacuation was the largest ever peacetime evacuation conducted by the Australian Navy.
A SET BACK
A short time after being involved with this event Kate and her husband were medically evacuated from Mallacoota as her husband required a medical procedure in Melbourne. In Melbourne Kate continued to assist the organisation with the recovery in Mallacoota. After two weeks in Melbourne Kate experienced pain in her eyes, photophobia, and loss of vision to a point of near total blindness.
Kate was hospitalised under the care of a Specialist Ophthalmologist who had little optimism that he could restore her sight, at that time. Brilliant medical care and considerable patience over a two-year period saw Kate once again with vision recovery, whilst not quite as before, was sufficient that she could cross a road unassisted and legally drive a car again.
BACK TO THE BRUSHES
During the later recovery time Kate was encouraged to take up her brushes again and shortly thereafter she started drawing and painting her most loved subjects, Australian birds.
The photographs taken on early visits to Mallacoota and travels around Australia are the basis for many of her paintings. These photos act as still models for her work.
Kate paints in her own workshop in beautiful Mallacoota where she delights in seeing the many colourful wren’s and honeyeaters in the garden outside her windows. Kookaburras regularly visit the garden along with a variety of colourful parrots. The pelicans and raptors cruise over the lake and past their home.
Her workshop doubles as a picture framing studio, a skill she learned after graduating from a Picture Framing School near Jarvis Bay, NSW.
Kate’s watercolour paintings, prints, linocut prints and cards are exhibited and available for purchase at the Mallacoota Art Space and now online. She gained recognition for her work at the Annual Ayr Art Show whilst holidaying in Far North Queensland.
Contact Details:
Name: Kate Arendsen
Email: kate.arendsen@gmail.com