Kate Nielsen

Nielsen's complex interiors reveal a narrative of place and memory, an intriguing glimpse of a life lived and its stamp on time and space. The work unfolds at its own pace revealing shifting discoveries and offer a familiarity that connects us.

Her exploration of place extends to her landscapes where she mines the stories of its inhabitants and their connection to and impression upon it. And, likewise, she seeks to demonstrate the land’s impression upon us. “Painting ‘Landscape’ enables me to feel a sense of connection to the natural environment, a need which is intrinsic to human nature. I enjoy the play of light and shade, the restorative nature of water, the natural linear rhythms created by the structure of the trees, the power of the expressive use of colour and the timeless quiet of rock formations.”

Her artwork is seeks to create abstract compositions that are very unique, although there is always a familiarity from the natural world that grounds the painting and creates an instant recognisable relationship for the viewer. Her very special sense of colour combines blues and greens and texture to set other bold unusual colours alight. Subtle and at the same time strong in their lines and character, Kate’s paintings dwell in the mind, calm, potent, and quintessentially Australian. 

Nielsen holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Painting from the National Art School graduating in 2005. She has had group and solo exhibitions across Sydney. Kate has twice been selected as a finalist for the Mosman art prize, has been a finalist in the Hawkesbury and Hornsby art prizes and has also won the ‘Emerging artist’ award in the Hornsby art prize 2019.