Fire Flowers
Katherine Boland lives on the south east coast of Australia and her art practice is inspired by her natural surroundings.
Incorporating non-traditional media and processes in her work, Katherine seeks to distil classical interpretations of the beauty of the natural world in an organic, abstract space. She often begins the act of mark making by subjecting the surfaces of her large timber panels to the transformative power of flame; using fire itself as a drawing medium. Rather than present a factual reality or reference recognisable forms, Katherine investigates the dynamics of landscape. Her works are emotional landscapes, aimed to sweep you in, to entice you to forgo worldly material concerns; to be quiet and contemplate a state of being.
Much of Katherine's work explores her lifelong relationship with fire—a relationship which came into sharp focus when a fatal fire sparked the end of her 27 year marriage in 2002. After living through the 2019/20 Australian bushfires, Katherine was compelled to make art to raise awareness about climate change and the ecological perils facing the planet. In the aftermath of the fires, she was selected to participate in OUTPUT: ART AFTER FIRE - a pilot project supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through their Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program which supported artists in southeast New South Wales and the American west to create artwork about their bushfire experiences.
Katherine has exhibited extensively throughout Australia and internationally and has been the recipient of numerous art prizes and grants, including the Heysen Art Prize for Interpretation of Place in 2009. Her work is included in corporate, public and private collections in Australia, Europe, Asia and the USA and her memoir, Hippy Days, Arabian Nights, was published by Australian publisher, Wild Dingo Press in 2017. Katherine graduated from the Melbourne Institute of Experiential and Creative Art Therapies (MIECAT) with a Graduate Diploma in Therapeutic Arts Practice in 2019 and has since run several writing workshops for bushfire affected communities in her region.
CV
1957 Born, Lancashire, England
1961 Immigrated to Australia
1975-76 Diploma Graphic Art & Design, RMIT, Melbourne, VIC
1990-91 Certificate of Colour & Design, Bega TAFE, NSW
2016 Advance Diploma of Therapeutic Arts in Counselling, Chisholm Institute,VIC
2017 Published Hippy Days, Arabian Nights - A Memoir, Wild Dingo Press,VIC
2019 Graduate Diploma in Therapeutic Arts Practice, MIECAT, VIC
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 ART FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, Planet Earth Channel, IKONO TV, Global Media Platform
2022 ICONS Billboard Display, DigitalArt4Climate, Tokyo, JAPAN
2022 ICONS Billboard Display, DigitalArt4Climate, Toronto, CANADA
2022. CALL TO ART, Climarte Gallery, Richmond, VIC
2022 Mandorla Art Award, Finalist, Perth, WA
2022 FIRE, Climarte Gallery, Richmond, VIC
2022 Planet Recovery Project Exhibition, Finalist, Labyrinth Gallery, UK
2022 Women See Change, Visual Petition, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT
2022 The Next, Li Tang Gallery, New York, USA
2022 Platforme Planet Earth, New York, USA
2022 Ivy Hill Gallery, Wopengo, NSW
2022 Art Lovers Australia Prize, Finalist, Sydney, NSW
2021 DigitalArt4Climate Art Competition, Finalist, United Nations, COP26 Conference, Glasgow, UK
2021 Environmental Art and Design Prize, Finalist, Manly Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2021 Waverley Art Prize, Finalist, Sydney, NSW
2021 Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Prize, Finalist, Brisbane, QLD,
2021 Manyung Gallery, Malvern, VIC
2021 Milburn Art Prize, Finalist, Brisbane, QLD
2021 Lethbridge Landscape Prize, Salon Finalist, Brisbane, QLD
2020 NOW Contemporary Art Prize, Finalist, Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Nowra, NSW
2020 Ivy Hill Gallery, Wopengo, NSW
2016 Beth Hume Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC
2015 Beth Hume Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC
2014 Art In The Park, Albert Park, VIC
2013 Form Studio and Gallery, Queanbeyan, NSW
2012 Redland Art Awards, Finalist, Cleveland,QLD
2012 Covering Ground, Dark Horse Experiment Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2011 Izmir Biennale, Izmir, TURKEY
2011 La Verne University, Los Angeles, USA
2011 Gadfly Gallery, Dalkeith, Perth, WA
2011 Wilson Street Gallery At Danks St, Sydney, NSW
2010 Essence Of St Kilda Photography Prize, Finalist, St Kilda, VIC
2010 Gallery One, Southport, QLD
2010 BMGart, Adelaide, SA
2010 Limestone Coast Art Prize, Finalist, Keith, SA
2009 Heysen Art Prize, Winner,Hahndorf Art Academy, Hahndorf, SA
2007 Corangamarah Art Prize,Finalist,Otway Estate Winery,VIC
2004 Norvill Art Prize, Finalist, NSW
2003-05 The State of Art – Peace, Manly Art Gallery Touring Exhibition, NSW
2002-03 SKEGGS Darlinghurst Art Show, Sydney, NSW
2003 McGivern Art Prize,Finalist, Melbourne, VIC
2002 Contemporary Asian Art Fair, Aust High Commission, SINGAPORE
2002 Treasury Place, Artefact, Melbourne, VIC
2000 Fleurieu Art Prize, Finalist,Regional Gallery, McLaren Vale, SA
2000 McLaren Vale Art Prize,Finalist, Regional Gallery, McLaren Vale, SA
2000 Redlands Westpac Art Prize,Finalist, Mosman, NSW
1999 Redlands Westpac Art Prize, Finalist, Mosman, NSW
Solo Exhibitions
2020 Full Circle, Online Exhibition, Bega Regional Art Gallery, Bega, NSW
2019 New Work, Ivy Hill Gallery, Wopengo, NSW
2017 Book Launch, Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2010 Writing On St Kilda, St Kilda Town Hall Gallery, VIC
2010 Shield Me, Catherine Asquith Gallery, Collingwood, VIC
2009 Writing On The Wall, Catherine Asquith Gallery, Collingwood, VIC
2008 Writing On The Wall, Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA
2008 Horizons II,Catherine Asquith Gallery,Flinders St, Melbourne,VIC
2007 The Shape Of Things To Come, Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA
2007 The Shape Of Things To Come, Catherine Asquith Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2006 Near & Far, Soho Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2006 Campagna, Artefact, Melbourne, VIC
2005 Horizons, Soho Gallery, Sydney,NSW
2005 It’s Not Just Black & White, Artefact @ Gallery 101,Melbourne,VIC
2004 In Her View, Artefact, Melbourne, VIC
2003 On Fire, Artefact, Melbourne, VIC
2002 Lineage, Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2001 Fields of Bliss, Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2000 Oceanic, Bulle Galleries, Melbourne, VIC
2000 Landmarks, Soho Galleries Leichhardt, NSW
1998 Fragments, Old Bank Gallery, Pambula, NSW
1996 I Above, Narek Gallery, Canberra, ACT
1995 New Work, Hidden Valley Art Gallery, Bodalla, NSW
1993 Supra Natural, Gorman House Arts Centre, Canberra, ACT
1991 New Work, Bilyara Gallery, Bournda, NSW
Awards, Grants, Residencies
2022 Australasia's Emerging Photographers Award, Top 10 finalist (ART category) Capture Magazine
2022 Photographer of the Year 2021, Highly Commended, Australian Photography Magazine
2021 OUTPUT: Art After Fire Project, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
2020 Artist Benevolent Grant, NAVA, NSW
2020 Micro Grant, South East Arts/ Regional Arts NSW/Bega Valley Regional Gallery, NSW
2010 International Artist’s Symposium, Luxor International Studio, Ministry of Culture, Luxor, EGYPT
2010 Studio Residency, DRAWinternational, Caylus, FRANCE
2010 Scholarship Residency, Arts Student’s League of New York, Vytlacil Campus, NEW YORK
2009 Heysen Art Prize, Winner, Hahndorf Art Academy, Hahndorf, SA
2005 Studio Residency, Rigalto Studios, Perugia, Umbria, ITALY
2002 Studio Residency, Glebe Chamber of Commerce, NSW
2001 Studio Residency, NSW Ministry of the Arts, Gunnery Studios, Sydney, NSW
2000 Bega Valley Art Awards, Major Award – Acquisitive, Bega Valley Regional Gallery, NSW
1999 Bega Valley Art Awards, Major Award – Acquisitive, Bega Valley Regional Gallery, Bega, NSW
1997 Bega Valley Art Awards, Best Abstract, Regional Gallery, Bega, NSW
Collections
Bellagio Tower Suite, Las Vegas, USA
Kimpton Midtown Union, Atlanta USA
City of Port Phillip Collection, Melbourne,VIC
Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, VIC
The American Euro Centre, Hangzlon, CHINA
The Marriott, Brisbane, QLD
Sheraton On The Park, Sydney, NSW
Maddocks Collection, Melbourne,VIC
Doug Menzies Collection, Melbourne, VIC
The Chelsea Hotel, Darlinghurst, NSW
Mandale Heights, SINGAPORE
Conrad Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast, QLD
Bega Valley Regional Gallery, Permanent Collection, NSW
Western Mining Corporation, Melbourne, VIC
Sheraton Hotel, Sydney, NSW
Reflections, Gold Coast, QLD
Kirra Surf, Gold Coast , QLD
Q1 Resort, Gold Coast, QLD
Crown Casino, Melbourne VIC
Private Collections in Europe, Asia, USA & Australia
Representation
Climarte Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Manyung Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Soho Galleries, Sydney, Australia
Ivy Hill Gallery, New South Wales, Australia
Li Tang Gallery, New York
Labyrinth Galley, UK
