Katie Bradley
Vivid, intense colours of the ancient landscape
Katie grew up and went to school in Adelaide, South Australia. She decided from a young age that wished to be an artist, and therefore studied for her Bachelor of Visual Arts (South Australian College of Art and Education), before attaining her Master of Fine Arts (University of Tasmania). After finally working out in her early 20’s how she could make her living, she obtained her Diploma of Education, before finally completing Certificate IV in workplace assessment and training.
Always with an interest in travel and exploring Australia, Katie has always been, and continues to be inspired by the Australian landscapes. Whether amongst the ochres of South Australia or the vivid, intense colours of the ancient landscape of the Northern Territory, Katie’s inspiration is translated into the classic approaches of oil on stretched linen, gouache, and chinagraph pencil on canvas.
THE DIVERSITY AND COMPLEXITY OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURE OF AUSTRALIA’S FIRST NATIONS PEOPLES.
In 2000, Katie moved to the Territory to take up a position of Faculty Head of Art, Design and Technology at a Darwin school. As her research for her master’s had been on the development of Aboriginal art into the Contemporary Art scene, she was interested in developing a better understanding of Aboriginal culture partly by teaching Aboriginal students. Katie was also attracted to the Territory by the ancient landscape and the diversity and complexity of the knowledge and culture of Australia’s First Nations peoples.
Since 1999, Katie has exhibited regularly across the length and breadth of Australia, in Adelaide, Hobart, Geraldton, Canberra, as well as in Darwin. She was a finalist in the Togart Contemporary Art Award 2013, while in 2016 she achieved Highly Commended in the Katherine Art Prize.
Biography
Katie Bradley has worked in Darwin for 20 years as teacher and artist, setting up a private studio at her home. Katie has maintained her practice for 30 years, exhibiting in local exhibitions, having solo and group shows. Originally she studied at the University of South Australia , starting in a Bachelor of Design, (Jewellery and Metalsmithing) and swapping to a Bachelor of Visual Art which she completed in 1987. Spending 1988 travelling through China and England, coming back to Australia overland from London to Nepal, Katie moved to Tasmania where at the University of Tasmania she completed a Master of Visual Arts (Research, 1991) and then a Diploma of Education ( 1992). Teaching has also been an important part of her practice, and for the last 28 years she has taught at University, TAFE, within the Tasmanian Education system and for the last 20 years within the Independant and Catholic schools of Darwin with a focus on Indigenous Education. In 1997 Katie was chosen by the school she was working at Canberra Boys Grammar to travel down to Antartica for a month on the Mawson Hut expedition. In 2016 Katie spent the year doing an Artist in the Park residency at the Territory Wildlife Park alongside 7 other local artists. This residency gave the opportunity to research the extraordinary age, abundance and diversity of the flora and fauna in the top end, an ongoing interest of hers. If you were going to use a word to sum up Northern Territory then it would be Ancientness. Katie’s work has been heavily influenced by the ongoing discussions and insights she has gleamed while working alongside so many remote indigenous students. She is genuinely surprised that more value and respect is not given to this diverse, complicated, rich and knowledgeable group of people that are the original custodians of this land. This is a theme that has been underlying Katie’s work for last 20 years. Over the last 230years, Australians have contributed much to this land we now know as Australia but we have also benefited greatly. Isn’t it time to acknowledge the previous 40,000 plus years. Katie’s has work held in several private collections.
