The Riddoch is excited to host local artist Kirsten Johnston from 12 – 30 January 2022 as she takes up residency in our Cathleen Edkins Gallery space.

Kirsten will be painting live in the gallery from 11:00am to 3:00pm weekdays and 10:00am to 2:00pm weekends.

“My work emerges from my visceral response to the energy of the moment. Marks are laid down with physicality as they flow from ordinary experience, giving a visual presence to the fleeting turns of life.” – Kirsten Johnston

About Kirsten

Over eight years, Kirsten has experimented with a range of artistic media including watercolour, acrylic paint, charcoal, mixed media and ink, in both realistic and less representative styles and on both paper and canvas. Much of her work to date has been inspired by the natural world, particularly that of Australian flora and landscape. She has aimed to produce works that capture its randomness, using non-realistic colours and semi-abstract images to express her joy in the subject matter.

During an August 2021 residency hosted by Post Office Projects Gallery and Studios in Port Adelaide, under the guidance of mentor, Margaret Worth, Kirsten moved her focus to total abstraction and embraced creating on a much larger scale. This has revealed new options for her expression including the possibility for energetic and expansive brushstrokes and the manipulation of greater space and breath within works. The resulting pieces are bold and individual and reflect her ongoing desire for newness.

Image: Kirsten Johnston with her work Whisps, 2021, acrylic on canvas.

This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia.