Never too late to paint

KATHY West took her first art lesson aged 75. Now she is holding her first solo exhibition.
The Wonthaggi artist presents A Reflection of a New Passion, a retrospective exhibition of paintings at the ArtSpace Gallery at Wonthaggi from February 12 to March 9.
The show covers diverse subjects, from cathedrals and mirror balls to distortions, all conveying a sense of movement and reflection in oils and acrylics.
Water features are common throughout her work, combining the challenge of depicting reflections and contours.
“It’s a mystery,” West said of why reflections appeal to her.
“I look at something that never changes and unless it changes you get really tired of it, but with mirror balls, every time you look at them there is something different.
“I enjoy change. Coming to Wonthaggi was my 26th move.”
Moving figures, such as her depictions of ballet dancers, appeal to West’s sense of drama.
“I love to watch ballet because it always tells a story,” she said.
Another work captures a man and woman embracing above an iconic Melbourne scene.
“They are up in the air, as though they twirling up in the sky above Southbank,” West said.
Ten years after first learning to paint, West still finds she loses herself while painting and loves the experience.
“My move to Wonthaggi enabled me, through the Bass Coast Artists Society, to do some workshops in pastels and watercolours,” she said.
“A few awards kept me searching for ‘my signature’. I vaguely felt I wanted to paint movement and I was fortunate to find the answer to my search in Ken Griffiths, who brought out in me something I had no idea was there.”
Griffiths is a regarded artist based at South Dudley.
“He’s a great artist and a great teacher, and a lovely gentle man,” West said.
She hopes her exhibition will inspire a movement of late blooming artists.
“I do not want to so much show off my paintings but to encourage other people to do it because we have this second age,” West said.
Despite first picking up a paint brush later in life, West has always had a creative streak. She worked as a dress designer and manufacturer, working in Malaysia, with her designs appearing in the famed fashion houses of Harrods in London and Altman in New York.
She later worked for Shepherds in Canberra, a business with stores across Australia and the United States of America known for flamboyant, dramatic designs.
The gallery is located at 5-7 McBride Avenue, Wonthaggi and is open Thursday to Monday from 10am-4pm. Phone 5672 1415.

Inspirational story: Wonthaggi artist Kathy West is holding her first solo exhibition after learning to paint 10 years ago.

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Posted by Sarah Vella on Feb 3 2015. Filed under Arts & Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry