She plays with colour and perspective to convey her subjects not quite the way they exist in reality but with an ever present optimism and empathy mixed with a bit of kookiness.

She has a Masters degree in drawing from the National Art School and this forms the foundations of her painting. Last year she won the Muswellbrook Art prize for works on paper and she’s also been a finalist and semi-finalist in many major painting prizes including the Sulman, Doug Moran, Black Swan and Paddington art prizes. She has exhibited in five solo shows and has another two coming up this year but still sees herself in the early stages of her career as a painter. Her work crosses still life, portraiture and landscape.

I recorded this episode in Kiata’s studio in the back room of her home in Lake Cathie just south of Port Macquarie in NSW’s mid north coast. She lives at times a rather isolated life but this is not only due to the geography of where she lives.  As the full-time carer of her grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s, a cup of tea with a friend is a rare event and even a trip to the shops is a major operation.

Kiata grew up in various parts of NSW including Sydney, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Armidale. She was surrounded by strong women particularly her mother and grandmother who had a background in theatre and were always interested in the arts.

To hear the episode press play under the feature photo above.

I filmed a short video of Kiata in her studio and you can see it below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwZ3OJquz8E

‘The artist’s table’, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 94.5 x 126cm (finalist Sir John Sulman Prize 2018)

‘Gathering what we have’, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 94 x 94cm

‘Grandmother Bea’, 2017, arcylic on canvas (semi-finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2017)

‘Patchwork rocks’, 2018, acrylic on canvas, (finalist Paddington Art Prize 2018)

‘Rainy Day in the Studio’, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 156 x 126cm

‘The whole world in a room’, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 125 x 156cm