KATRINA MCKEON

Inspired by nature and obsessed with colour and texture, this artist's work is permeated with joy

- LINDA BARACIOLLI

Successful Melbourne-based artist and gallery owner Katrina McKeon was obsessed with colour from a young age. "I was a very creative child and loved colour and getting my hands dirty," she reminisces. "I was passionate about making and creating every day; it was my interest and my obsession and I always imagined it would be part of my life."

Although Katrina studied art at a few different colleges, most of what she does today is self-taught by trial and error. Another important part of her artistic journey was time spent in Indigenous art communities and on world travels. "Some of my most important growth periods were when I was exposed to the world of Indigenous art, and how nature and the outback are represented," she shares. "Later, my global travels gave me a greater appreciation of the built environment and the spaces in which we exist, and how we express that through art. Today, I really enjoy exploring art through the natural environment, architecture and interior design, and bringing it back to basics with texture, inspired by the bold colours found in nature."