About

Catherine Hamilton lives on the Mornington Peninsula, Bunurong Country.

Catherine Hamilton

Professional Artist | Passionate Tutor | Creative Visionary | Award-Winning Artist

Education And Early Career…

Catherine studied at the University of Creative Arts in the UK and achieved a 2.1 Diploma
in Painting and Printmaking and went on to study figurative drawing at The Chelsea Art School.

An important time in her early art vocation was when she met portrait artist Ken
Paine and practiced portrait under his direction and mentorship for 3 years in London.

Catherine worked for two galleries in the UK – London Contemporary Art and Anna Hunter Fine
Art, representing the work of RA artists and HRH King Charles.

Her work has been hung at the Mall Gallery, London, as a finalist in the Lang Landscape
Prize and she has had several solo shows and mixed shows during her early career as an
artist.

She was a member of The Federation of British Artists and is a current member of The
Society of women Artists UK.

A Journey Across Continents…

Catherine’s story began across oceans, however, she traded the bustling streets and art
scene of the UK for the serene shores of Melbourne in 1995. Since then, she has
etched her presence into the Australian art scene, leaving an indelible mark.

“I paint using pastel, oils or acrylic. I love drawing using mainly charcoal and draw up compositions and sketches and portraits to work from.”
Catherine Hamilton

Catherine has had several solo and mixed shows over the past years in Melbourne and shown at
the Camberwell Art Show, regional Rotary Shows, AGRA, The Victorian Arts Society and
The Pastel Society of Victoria.

She has won many awards in her early career, particularly for her portraits and figurative work,
including…
* 2003 Runner up for the Travel Grant Award, Camberwell Art Show
* 2019 The Kenneth Jacks Award Best in Show and Best Charcoal work of “Lost In New York”

Catherine has had her art represented, including solo exhibitions and mixed
shows, at Laguna Art Gallery (Los Angeles), The Mall Gallery (London), Peninsula
Gallery (Mornington Peninsula), Without Pier Gallery (Melbourne) and more recently
Manyung Gallery (Victoria).

Catherine’s practice includes creating art, teaching, workshops and demonstrating
and giving talks throughout Australia. Holding exhibitions, leading international art
tours and volunteering in Zambia, teaching a creative programme at a small school
outside Lusaka, are all part of the experiences that have contributed to the artistic
journey.

Catherine is accomplished in working in a range of media using these in innovative
ways to create her work. Her passion is colour and natural pigments, utilizing these
often in her work.

Current Focus…

Two residencies at Police Point in the Point Nepean National Park, in 2020 and
again in 2022, became an important, pivotal part, in the development of Catherine’s
art practice.

She was able to immerse herself in the environment, walking the many tracks of the
park culminating in a series of sketches titled “Pathways”. She also set about understanding
and recording the delicate coastline along Port Philip, the coastal periphery landscape is mainly
sandstone and numerous sketches on site over the two residencies allowed her to record
changes in this margin.

As a woman, it was important to establish a connection to land because of its historic
importance to the Bunurong People (who had been there for 40,000 years) as a place
for women’s ceremonies, birth and initiation.

During these sojourns, London Bridge became an important, iconic focus to her
work. The sketches and associated writing became symbolic of her unfolding
artistic odyssey, deeply rooted in every grain of Point Nepean’s enigmatic landscape.

Much of her work is produced from recollections – recollections of experiences,
emotional responses and visual memory. Her walks along the coast are the stimulus
for her work. Photography, observational sketches and memory all become the
reference points that contribute to the creation of her paintings which are ultimately
her connection and response to this space and all it embraces. She watches the
changing light and its impact on the shapes and landscape around her. The dramatic
skies looking across from the water’s edge and the embankments and steep
overhang of the very edge of this land. Because natural erosion caused by storm
and weather impact on this terrain, it changes constantly, and this is part of the
transitioning elements often shown in her work.

Catherine’s studio is more than just a space—it’s a hub of creativity. Here, she weaves art,
teaching, and dialogue seamlessly. Her workshops are vibrant gatherings where
brushstrokes meet curiosity, and her talks resonate with the rhythm of shared
experiences.

In Catherine’s hands every medium becomes a symphony. She dance between acrylics, oils,
and watercolours, coaxing hues to life. But it’s her love affair with natural pigments that sets
her apart—the earth’s palette, vivid and untamed.