Katie Sandison

Artist Biography Katie Sandison

Since a small child I have always loved the natural world and would often get lost in my daydreams whilst playing in the Adelaide hills or at Brighton Beach with my beloved grandmothers who instilled a great love of colour, poetry and the Arts.

The ‘Flora and Fauna Australiana natives’ series’ is a vibrant representation of the local natural environment of Brownhill creek in Mitcham, South Australia.

The main inspirations stem directly from purely Australian organic forms, endangered, extinct wildlife species and in particular birds.

Through artistic conventions that include colour contrasts, metallic and fluorescent light sources, these natural narratives illuminate from the plywood surface which the paint is splashed upon.

‘To capture the essence of beautiful forms within the natural world macro or micro, in order to engage and inspire an audience is a wonderful thing for an artist to give to the world.’

Katie is a passionate fine artist, teacher and curator who captures past and present native endangered, extinct and common Australian flora and fauna species, through vibrant water colour/acrylic paintings depicted on wooden surfaces. She creates a crucial connection between the ordinary birds like the familiar iconic magpie and more rare extraordinary species hardly seen anymore, in a unique and distinctive style of painting. This purposeful documentation of whimsical scale distortions highlights the importance of individual species exposing an illusionary world stemming from exotic colour schemes and metallic reflections.

Katie studied Visual Arts at North Adelaide School of Art at the age of 16 and continued on to receive a Bachelor of Visual Art and A Bachelor of Education Postgraduate in Secondary Visual Art and Design in 1999.

She has exhibited extensively throughout South Australia and has participated in Visual Art festivals over the past 30 years.

Katie teaches Visual Art and Design at Seaford Secondary College and sells her original art works and limited hand embellished metallic leaf prints through her art company @ktydesigns, art exhibitions local galleries- #Smartart, #Tineriba Fine Arts and the #Fleurieu Arthouse in McLaren Vale.

Curator and Exhibition history:

Her latest exhibit during the festive session at the Adelaide Airport Qantas gate 26 and Virgin gate 14 is called “NATIVES’ which featured a large display of bird portraits and truly iconic landscapes, which illuminate the walls as visitors arrive to the city of festivals.

In 2019 Katie was a finalist in the 'Landscape art Prize' Hahndorf Academy, Hahndorf, SA and also the
“All connections to Unley Art Prize at the Hughes Gallery, Unley Council, S.A2022 “Figurative Impressions Abstract Expressions’ 16 feamle artists from S.A. curated by Katie

2021 ‘Natural Beauty’ Seaford Secondary College, Seaford Library Seaford curated by Katie.
2022-21'Natives' a solo art exhibition by Katie Sandison at the Adelaide Airport Dec-Mar Qantas and Virgin gates curated by Katie.
2021 'Illustrious Icons' Solo art exhibition at The Uraidla Hotel SALA Festival 2021. Uraidla, S.A curated by Katie.
2020-22 Fleurieu Art House featured artist McLaren Vale, SA.
2020 ‘Golden Treasures’ Solo exhibition at The PaintBox, Hahndorf, SA.
2020 SALA Smartart Gallery, College Park, SA.

1999 SALA student art exhibition Adelaide High School Student exhibition, Hutt Street Library, Adelaide curated by Katie.
2019 'Fora and fauna endeavours' Solo exhibition Tinariba Gallery, Hahndorf, S.A.
2019 'Spring Art Show' Loretto College Marryatville, SA.
2019 Smartart group exhibition’, SALA festival smartart, College Park, SA.
2019 VAESA SALA festival members exhibition, UniSA SA.
2019 Adelaide remakery Exhibition SALA festival, Young street, Adelaide, SA.
2019'Hills Collective' SALA festival Tineriba Gallery Hahndorf,
2018 Spring Art show Loretto College Kengington,SA.
2018 ‘Smartart group exhibition’, smartart, College Park, SA.
2017 ‘The Hills Collective’, SALA festival Tineriba Gallery Hahndorf, Adelaide, S.A.
2017 ‘Moth Migration Project’, Hilary Lorenz’s installation, Albuquerque New Mexico, U.S.A.
2017 ‘Threatened species of the Otways’ Art and Ecology exhibition, Mornington Peninsula, VIC.
2017 ‘Reclaim Repurpose Renew’, Yewth mag, South Australia Living Artist Festival, S.A.
2015 ‘Daubism group show’, Driller Jet Armstrong, Sugar Nightclub, Rundle Street, Adelaide, S.A.
2012 ‘The Eclectic Collection’, ‘Tineriba Gallery’, Hahndorf Adelaide, S.A.
2008 ‘Art Showing’, NEXIS Gallery Multicultural Centre of South Australia, S.A.
2005 ‘Fringing’, Prince Alfred College Adelaide Fringe Festival, S.A.
2006 ‘Influx’, ‘Sym Choon Gallery Rundle street Adelaide, S.A curated by Katie.
2005 ‘Brown Gallery group exhibition’, Sugar Gallery, Adelaide, S.A.
2004 ‘Bloom II’, Kintolia Gallery, Adelaide, S.A.
2002 ‘Omnific’, TAP Gallery Darlinghurst, NSW.
2002 ‘Up Start’, Solo exhibition Port Adelaide, SALA Festival curated by Katie.
2001 ‘Bloom’, Kintolai Gallery Hindley street Adelaide.
2001 ‘Opulent Options’, of South East Artist Studios and Gallery, S.A. curated by Katie.
2000 ‘unprocessed-reprocessed’, Adelaide Fringe Festival, S.A curated by Katie.
1999 ‘Mentoring’, South Australian Visual Artist Educators Association, Prospect Gallery SALA, S.A.
1999 ‘Clutter’, University of South Australia former art museum, S.A. curated by Katie.
1995 ‘Intermedia’, Crown & Anchor Hotel, Adelaide.
1995 ‘Exit’, graduating student’s exhibition, The South Australian School of Art, Underdale, S.A
1991 ‘Natural Revelations’, Belchev and Martin Gallery, Unley, Adelaide.

Awards, Grants and publications:
2001 Curatorship grant e/merg Projects for Australia Council for the Arts, S.A.

Public Art and community murals:
2020 Feathered friends yr 10 bird portraits Seaford Secondary College exhibition at the Fleurieu arthouse MacLaren Vale.
2018 ‘War on Wast Hive’ mural 11 mtre Brighton High School, Brighton, SA.
2018 ‘Stobie pole project’ Ocean View College, year 10 mural of native flora and fauna. Port Adelaide & Enfield Council Power SA.

2015-2017 Aboriginal murals painting facilitator with Aboriginal artist Kym Mitchell, Ocean View College, SA.
2014 Sculptural mural for Adelaide Special Education Centre, yr 10 mural Ocean View College.