From Shaw to shore

Artist Kate Shaw, who splits her time between Collingwood and her Smiths Beach studio, is in the running for the inaugural Sorrento Art Prize.

The prize will shine a spotlight on 60 of Australia's contemporary artists, with one to receive the life-changing $125,000 prize.

Kate's work channels the elemental beauty of nature, deep intuition, and a lifelong sense of wonder and connection to the landscape which has been central to her practice since childhood.

"I've always been an artist for as long as I can remember," she says.

"As a child, I saw nature as wondrous-and I still do."

Her paintings are known for their kaleidoscopic reflections of the natural world - lush, luminous, and often bordering on the otherworldly.

She draws inspiration from artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, Hilma af Klint and contemporary force Tracey Emin, whose recent work she admires for its emotional depth and strength.

Shaw's inspiration remains simple and consistent.

"Nature. Always.

"I meditate every day to stay emotionally distanced from all the things in the world that upset me," she says.

Her favourite places are wherever natural beauty and her favourite people intersect - and says when she's close to the sea or immersed in the bush, she feels most alive.

And when she's not in the studio, you can find her "singing, swimming in the sea, and walking in nature."

Kate Shaw's work will be exhibited at & Gallery, 21 Morce Avenue, Sorrento, from June 28 to August 31.

The winner of the Sorrento Art Prize will be announced the opening event on June 28.

More at: www.andgalleryaustralia.net