Kathy Best – Corban and Blair submission based on the themes: Landscape, Melbourne, Victoria, and a repeatable image that tells a story:
Bio –
Kathy Best is a Melbourne based artist who creates acrylic and mixed media abstracts and contemporary paintings based on observation of the world around her. Her artworks are bold and expressive and are predominately based on landscape and still life inspired by her surroundings. Having spent her childhood growing up on the Murray River and moving to the City in her twenties Kathy’s works have both a country and city feel about them.
“I see the world and I paint it”.
Urban Acrobats – Inspired by the buildings in the city around me and thinking about people who skate, roll, jump and free run. I’m wondering how these people view the building walls and other city obstacles. I’ve also been looking at the works of abstract expressionist artist Franz Kline.
Spring Natives – It took me some time to select a title for this piece because I could not pin point the type of flowers painted. However the painting’s colour and shapes definitely have an Australian nature feel about them. Looking out into the garden from my studio, I have titled this work Spring Natives.
Walking by the River – There’s nothing better than getting away from a busy schedule and spending time with nature on a sunny day walking along a river, observing plants, fish and birds.
Walking in the Woods – A painting with two very separate layers that differ entirely to each other. The first layer depicts trees and vegetation and the top layer shows a beautiful blue sky. There’s nothing like getting away from it all with a walk in the woods, whether it’s for exercise, relaxation or both. The day is even more enjoyable if followed by a picnic, a nap and a good book.
City Lights – Inspired by a visit to Port Phillip Bay – It’s all about a romantic calm night at the pier with City lights in the distance.
City Walk – Inspired by an photo taken at Queen’s Bridge Melbourne while out sketching en plein air. This contemporary painting was created in the studio. City walk is all about people coming and going in the City – going about their daily lives of working, studying, traveling and living among the city buildings. It has been created using a limited palette of colours.
Between Conversations – What hidden interactions occur within the space between two people having a conversation?
Nutrients – An abstract landscape of a happy eco system showing the sky with clouds for much needed rain, happy healthy bushy trees and shrubs of all shapes and sizes, and the earth beneath us filled with water and nutrients required for plants and animals to thrive and survive.
Collecting the Mail – In times gone by this was an exciting and important time of the day. I wonder how much longer a letter box will form part of our lives
Let’s Eat Pizza – This quirky piece was created to hang in a Pizza Shop window for an exhibition. It was inspired by the bench tables and wood fire oven in the pizza shop, a common sight in Multicultural Melbourne.
Lily Pad – Inspired by a visit to the Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens – lily pad flowering- frog in the pond – splashing and frolicking – make of it what you will.
Boogie Woogie – Melbourne life consists of music, wine and food
Outside the Museum – This work is based on a smaller sketched work completed on site outside the Melbourne Museum, Carlton. It combines the four seasons of the year all into one picture.
Rhythm – Vibrations and rhythm – The rhythm of life, the rhythm of a city, the rhythm inside us
Dressed for the Races – Some people are there for the horses, while others are there for the fashion on the field. Whatever your reason it’s always fun to dress up for a day at the races.Melbourne Cup is a Melbourne icon and Sport and Racing are a part of many Melburnian’s lives. This painted work is about a fabulously dressed hatted lady taking her last look in the mirror as she sets out the door for an exciting day at fashions on the field at the races.
At the Gardens – Inspired by a photo that I took while wandering around the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. The location is a beautiful spot to ponder and observe colour, texture and shape of the natural world around us. Nature is beautiful.
City Trees – The inspiration for this textured piece came from wandering the City streets in Winter. Life continues behind all of those windows while trees remain dormant over the Winter months.
Student Life – Students busily study behind closed doors in City Apartments while leaves fall from the trees outside
Patterson’s Curse – An invasive plant species in Australia this weed produces a purple flower seen on the hills in Country Victoria
New Beginnings – Whether it be a move to the country, a road trip interstate or a change in season, this painting is about new beginnings. New techniques were used to create this piece.
Country Drive – Painted from childhood memories of regular Sunday picnics out of town with multiple families gathering together to climb trees and rocks, and to run and hide.
Surrey Park Lake – The ducks and model boats are always out on the lake on Sunday’s at Surrey Park, also known as Surrey Dive. It’s a popular place to walk with the family and dogs.Surrey Dive was a popular swimming hole in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill that operated from 1905 to 1967. Being a former quarry for a brickworks, the hole was extremely deep and was surrounded at the water’s edge by sheer, steep cliffs.
The Countryside – This work is inspired by a photo taken in Segovia, Spain however it reminds me of the countryside along the Hume Highway near Euroa in Victoria, Australia at midday during a hot dry Summer.
Wine and Oyster Bar – Panels, wine, crystal glasses, oysters and the racing guide – Melbourne life doesn’t get any better than that.
The Blue Vase – I took some fruit and vessels out of my kitchen into the garden and photographed them for reference for this work. The repetition of shape and colour throughout the piece brings the piece together as one.
Red Gum – A Eucalyptus tree found growing on the banks of the Murray River where I grew up and spent many a day swimming. Also found growing in other inland waterways in Australia.I have included this gallery of sketches but I am not certain that they are repeatable. If you like any then let me know and I can add a story to them. They were sketched on site in Melbourne.
