Fostering Connection Through Art With Kate Florence
Noosa-based artist Kate Florence explores connection through art and conversation; with paintings that depict everyday life through the lens of distorted memories—her new podcast, Nitty Gritty, delves deep into the underbelly of the art world.
Words: Cardia Speziale I Photography: Keith Hamlyn
Kate Florence in her studio in Noosa, Queensland.
‘My style is constantly evolving as I grow as a human and as artist. Currently I am exploring the integration of memories of my childhood growing up in the UK and reflecting on the unique experiences I had as a child,' says Kate Florence.
“Making art is part of who I am—it’s my life force, my mirror, my therapist and my biggest joy in life.”
'To create work that comes truly from the depths of yourself is scary and vulnerable, but it’s what separates you from everyone else. All we have in life is our own experiences that help create who we are, and this translates into art too.'
'I have learnt that art and life, for me, are one and the same thing. To evolve as a painter, I must evolve as a person and be open to challenge and failure.'
Through an explorative artistic approach that portrays memories of home and distorted scenes of everyday life, Kate Florence embraces nostalgia to create art that speaks to the power of staying connected—to community, to Country, and to one’s own inner child.
Based on Gubbi Gubbi land in Noosa QLD, Kate’s formative years were spent in the UK studying fine art at the Winchester School of Art, and in Milan where she learned traditional painting and contemporary video art. ‘My style is constantly evolving,’ shares Kate. ‘The scenes I create are both familiar and abstracted in some way, with elements of movement and stillness, silliness and seriousness—they are nostalgic and simple, yet they all have their own personalities,’ she says.
Today, Kate’s work has been exhibited in galleries across the country, as well as in London, Los Angeles and Singapore. Alongside her artistic practice, Kate continues to find ways to deepen her connection with the creative community—launching The Nitty Gritty podcast in February this year, and State of Art Creative Studio Collective just last month. Reflecting on Nitty Gritty in particular, and why she took the plunge to create a space for conversation with fellow creatives, Kate recalls the challenges she faced as an aspiring artist; from what business tools to use, to how to start working with galleries and market herself.
‘It felt like such a minefield of unknown because I knew what I wanted but I had zero clue of how to get there,’ reflects Kate. ‘I wasted a lot of energy and time doing things in an inefficient way as I didn’t know how to approach running my business, and I would have loved more access to open conversation about how other artists I admired had approached their journey,’ she adds.
Since its inception in February this year, Nitty Gritty has hosted guests including author and art curator Amber Creswell Bell, and artists Sylvie Kettle, Emma Currie, Laura Jones, and Rosie Woods, exploring topics such as ‘Harnessing Self Doubt and Releasing Artist Guilt’, ‘What a Leading Art Curator Looks for in Emerging Artists’ and ‘Motherhood, Creative Practice and Facilitating Workshops’. With no creative question too big or small, Kate hopes to create a safe space for artists to speak honestly with one another about how to navigate the art world.
‘The art podcasts I listened to were always about the surface level achievements of more established artists—I was really craving to hear more on a personal level about their beginning and struggles as well, as the positives,’ says Kate. ‘I want to create a community that inspires and supports creatives, to connect more deeply with each other and not just see all the best bits on Instagram and think everyone else is doing great, when they're not.’
After the first six months of hosting Nitty Gritty podcast alongside her full-time art practice, Kate’s want to foster community through art and conversation is stronger than ever.
‘One of the greatest lessons I’ve taken away from speaking to other artists is that we’re all connected as humans,’ shares Kate. ‘We all struggle with similar things as creatives and that if we’re brave enough to share the experiences we have, both positive and negative, then we can help other creatives feel less alone in their journey and inspire them to have more self-compassion and perseverance.’
Coming up for Kate in the year ahead is an exhibition with Sylvie Kettle at Art Works gallery in Singapore this September, as well as a collection of works with Tappan Collective in Los Angeles that will be released online at the end of August.
For more information about Kate’s work, visit her website, tune into Nitty Gritty or follow Kate on Instagram.
'I found that I have come to a place of true creative expression when I decided to be more authentic in myself and use my own past and life as inspiration for my work, to not consider my audience in the creative process.’
‘I want the podcast [Nitty Gritty] to be a community that helps artists build resilience, by hearing other people’s journeys and feel inspired to keep believing in themselves.’
“The art podcasts I listened to were always about the surface level achievements of more established artists—I was really craving to hear more on a personal level about their beginning and struggles, as well as the positives.”
'The art world can feel very full of mystery and unspoken etiquette at times, so it was important for me to create a space [in Nitty Gritty Podcast] that was very honest and open about how other artists have progressed their practice.'
'When I was starting out, I had no idea how I was going to build my business and I used to feel like all my struggles were just mine, like everyone else knew what they were doing and wouldn’t find these things hard, now I realise we're all just scrambling our way through, riding out the ups and downs, hoping for the best.’