Kylie Mitchell

My family shares a story about how, when I was very young, I used to disappear from time to time, and when they found me I had gathered paper and pencils and hidden myself away to just draw! At 50 this year, I have decided to start doing that again!

I have spent the last 25 years building a career as a Building Designer in NSW. I have been recognized with awards over the years and have loved my work. And it's time to get back to that little girl whose only desire was to create. This change is direction has been bought about because of 3 journeys with different types of cancer in the last 8 years, 2 in the last 18 months. I have come to realize that nothing is promised and it is our obligation to life to live it the best way we know-how.

I work across a number of mediums and subjects, and want to connect with the viewer by evoking joy, recognition, curiosity, understanding and happiness. If my work appeals to someone, then I consider it a complete success!

I create art because...

I create art for a variety of reasons. Because it's joyful. To explore an emotion or event. To capture a feeling, view, idea, or moment in time. To help others experience their own creativity through my work. And sometimes I create simply to escape into a quiet space where nothing else matters but the page or canvas in front of me.

I am different to most artists because...

I have a knack of knowing when to stop so that works don't become too busy or overcrowded. I team this with bold colour and it creates a space that allows the viewer to spend time really seeing the art without being overwhelmed.

When you look at my art, the thing I want you to feel is...

Joy. Delight. Curiosity. Understanding. And recognition. I want people to feel the need to keep coming back to my work, to look over their shoulder just one more time. I want people to either need to own it or to be able to walk away from it knowing they have seen something that they related to.

The thing I most want to say to non-artists is...

There are no non-artists! It's just that some of us have forgotten how.

I believe art is an important part of our lives because...

It gives our inner lives a voice that can either whisper or shout. It allows us to sing and dance with our internal landscape.