Artist’s Statement
My art is driven by the need to honour my family present and past and the rural community we are a part of. So much hard work went into the opportunities I’ve had so I want my art to show an appreciation for the generations who have preceded us. To build connections between those who live a rural lifestyle and those who do not.
Creatively I'm most interested in realistically representing an image with interesting marks and unique colour combinationsBiography
Mostly self taught and painting seriously since 2007.
Regular exhibitions in many of the regional galleries in Queensland over the past 14 years.
Managing my own gallery in Beechworth Victoria since 2018.
Awards across Australia including the John Villiers Outback Art Prize, and the National Equine Art prize. 5 awards over three years with Women artists of the west including the major Best in Show.
Many peoples choice awards in regional art shows.
Influences
Lyn Diefenbach. Susan Lyon. John Wilson. Greg Beecham. Scott Burdick. Hans Heysen.
I love work that looks real from a distance but has incredible texture and masterful colour combinations .Awards
Awards:
- First Prize – Oils, Acrylics Mixed Media, Roma Show 2009
- First Prize – Roma Easter Art Show – Local Section 2011
- Peoples Choice – Barcaldine Annual art Exhibition and competition 2012
- Champion of Show and a Highly commended– Bell art show 2013- prize was a scholarship to McGregor Winter School valued at $640
- $1000 acquisitive award and highly commended Magenta Art Show Mildura.
- Grand champion ‘Dancing through pink’, plus section winner of both Landscape and Flora and Fauna at the Bell art show 2015.
- Acquisitive – Namoi Cotton Australia Award $800, Aspects Art Show 2015 ‘Last one’
- 3rd place, John Villiers Waltzing Matilda Art show Winton. 2015. ‘I see the light’.
- 1st Bell Art Show, Oils 2016
- 1st Kilmore Art Show, Oils 2016
- Commended- Australian Guild of Realist Artists, 2016
- Commended Aspects Art Show- Oils section
- Best Oil/Acrylic, Lane Cove, 2016
- First prize for the Inaugural creative excellence award- Wangaratta Rotary Art show.2016
- Popular choice, Corowa 2017
- Reserve champion- Bell 2017
- People’s choice- Numurkah rotary art show, 2017
- National Equine Art Prize, Mansfield - $8000 First Place, 2017
- Magenta, 2017, Best Landscape, Acquisitive $500
- Deniliquin, 2017, Fauna Section
- Somerset art awards, Best painting in show $750, 2017
- People’s choice, Corowa 2018.
- People’s choice, Currabubulla, 2018.
- Highly commended- Camberwell art show 2018
- First place, Blackall, 2018. Purchased by local council.
- First place in 2D and awarded Christine Drewyer Award of Distinction, WAOW 48th National Juried Exhibition, USA, 2018
- First place, WAOW online summer exhibition, 2018
- People’s choice, Somerset Art Awards, QLD, 2019.
- Numerous highly commended awards.
I was awarded an Australia Day medal for contribution to Culture 2012 in Surat, and member contribution in 2014.Exhibitions
- Solo exhibition at Brown Gully Picture Framing 2009
- Joint exhibition with Bill Sass at the Surat on Balonne Gallery 2010
- Solo exhibition at Injune Art space September 2010, and January 2011.
- Solo Exhibition at Brown Gully (June/ July 2011)
- Solo exhibition at Surat on Balonne Gallery in November- December 2011. Birds of the local area.
- Joint exhibition with Maranoa Artists Inc – Year of the farmer at the Roma on Bungil Gallery 2012
- Joint Exhibition with Tammie Saunders and Nicole Harper- Feminine Triumph at Roma on Bungil Gallery 2012
- Co-ordinated Kids exhibition – Fantastical Things- in conjunction with Maranoa Artists Random acts of art, 2013 Surat on Balonne Gallery
- Solo Exhibition at Outback Regional Gallery, Winton, 2014
- Solo Exhibition at Gallery 107 at Dalby, 2014.
- Commissioned painting for Origin. 2014
- Solo exhibition Mitchell 2015.
- Joint exhibition with Betty Searle, Surat on Balonne Gallery, ‘10 of the best’. October 2015
- Solo exhibition- Miles 2016
- Solo exhibition- Cunnumulla 2016
- Solo exhibition Injune – June to August 2017
- Solo exhibition – Kilcoy June 2017
- Solo exhibition – Surat October 2017
- Joint exhibition- Passionate Palettes, Bright September 2017
- Opened my own gallery in Beechworth Easter 2018.
- Joint Exhibition with Donna Hockey, Surat on Balonne Gallery, 2018. ‘Sliding Doors’.
- Solo exhibition: Surat on Balonne Gallery, 2019, ‘Country of beauty and brawn’.
Opened my own gallery 'Kathy Ellem Fine Art' in Beechworth Victoria.Website
Showing all 4 artworks
Kathy Ellem
Two blissful
92 x 122 x 3 cm Oil on Canvas $1,800.00
Kathy Ellem
Spotting clouds
51 x 51 x 3 cm Framed: 76 x 76 x 3 cm Oil on Canvas Sold
Kathy Ellem
Pastel bliss
61 x 76 x 3 cm Oil on Canvas $750.00