Hello! I’m not going to talk to you in the third person, it feels weird, I’ll just chat to you as if we’re getting to know each other over a cuppa.
So hello, nice to meet you. My name is Kathy McMillan and I’m an artist, photographer, designer and maker. I live and work on Awabakal Country, with a strong connection to Dunghutti Country where I grew up.
I moved to Newcastle in mid-2024 with my husband Matt and two doggies Chloe and Webber. Prior to that we lived in an off-grid tiny house on wheels in the Mid North Coast hinterland. We lived and worked in the tiny house for over three years, which was both a dream come true and a challenge!
Watercolour painting started as a form of therapy for me in 2022, a way of calming my mind and alleviating depression and anxiety. The medium requires patience and an ability to surrender control, but you do need to plan. Planning to surrender sounds a bit strange, but that’s really the best way I can describe it.
My paintings feature the wildlife found in the places I have lived. My work also includes photographs of botanical compositions.
I was a professional pet photographer for six years before closing my business in 2020, like so many other creatives were forced to do. Before that I wore suits and heels, feeling fake chasing dollars at the expense of my creative soul.
These days you will find me out in nature taking photos, painting, sewing, book binding, and getting dirt under my nails in the veggie garden. On weekends I have a stall at various markets in the Hunter Region selling prints of my art, hand bound art journals, and textile products featuring my signature Leaves fabric design. You can find a schedule of upcoming market dates HERE.
My values are authenticity, honesty and kindness, reflected in my commitment to running an ethical studio, and you can read more about that HERE.
Before I go, I’ll share my two favourite quotes with you:
Life is a creative process, and only you can create the person you want to be, by BEING that person. If there’s dissonance between your values and behaviour, if you aren’t being authentic and honest with yourself and others, true happiness just isn’t possible.
If you would like to keep posted on what I’m up to, you can join my community, subscribe to my fortnightly ramble HERE.
Again, nice to meet you, and sorry this conversation was one-sided!
Be kind to all kinds,
Kath x
Here’s some formal stuff…
Tertiary qualifications:
Diploma of Photoimaging, CATC Design School (part of Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia).
Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management and Marketing), Southern Cross University.
Previous businesses:
2014 – 2020 Kathy McMillan Photography – fur family portraiture.
2017-2019 Sweet Pea and Busy Bee – handmade fur baby harnesses, coats, beds, toys.
Previous employment:
Corporate hell, business development, sales, marketing, and administration mostly. Wearing heels ruined my feet and back, the grind crushed my soul. It gave me solid business experience though, something not every creative can draw on, so there’s that!
Exhibitions:
2023 Group art journal exhibition, Drawn from Here Project, Sunset Framing and Gallery, Port Macquarie. Received a Worthy Mention from judging panel.
2016 Solo photography exhibition ‘Rescued’, Shutter & Brew Café, Brisbane.
Media coverage:
2019 Behind the Lens Photographer interview in Greater Port Macquarie Focus Magazine, December issue.
2016 Trailblazer interview in Brisbane News, September 14-20, issue 1096.