
My background
(and why I paint Nostalgia)
I’m Cath, a Brisbane-based emerging artist with a passion for nostalgia, particularly Mid Century Modern, Vintage and Retro.
I credit my creative abilities to my mum who was a high school art teacher. Mum encouraged me to be creative from an early age and passed down the knowledge and skills that she learnt growing up in the Netherlands and also inherited from her Ukrainian mother, who was a very gifted craftswoman.
I began painting seriously in 2023 after taking some time out of the workforce. My career up to that point had been in finance and superannuation, however changing direction to full time artist has been exactly what I needed. It fills my cup daily.
I paint at home from my converted garage studio and have a son in primary school and two crazy cats to keep me company. They often join in on the fun!
The question that I'm asked most often is why did I choose to paint nostalgia? The honest truth, I didn't choose to. It chose me! My first painting was of an interior setting with mid century furniture, some of which I have at home. It sparked something in me, a desire to paint items from the past that I'm connected to in some way. It also made me realise that I have a wistful yearning for the past where life was simpler and slower. When items were handmade to the highest standards by craftspeople and passed down to future generations, instead of mass produced to be tossed away after one season. Because they remind me of my childhood in the 70s and of family, now gone, that I loved.
It was then that I realised how deeply the past shapes my present viewpoints, and that I desire to share those feelings and memories through my art.
My hope is that my paintings rekindle precious memories in each viewer, taking them on a journey back in time.
Want to learn more about my creative process? Please check out my Artists Interview with Artbid.