Katrina Leah

My name is Katrina Stadler, with my artist name being Katrina Leah. Originally from Adelaide in South Australia, but I have lived in NZ since 1983 first in Timaru and since 2008 here in Governors Bay. Back in the day I trained and worked as a registered nurse then went into childbirth education. I left nursing, but still teach childbirth/antenatal classes regularly in evenings and sometimes on weekends. On three days a week, you will find me as front of house supervisor at She Universe café, so quite a variety of jobs and experience.

Painting has become my passion and favourite pastime. So much to explore and experiment with! My interest in pregnancy, birth and all aspects of ‘feminine embodiment’ is largely what influences much of my work, though I am also exploring landscape a lot as well.

My other long term passion is in the empowerment of women of all ages to explore and express more of who they are as women on every level. And to support this I currently run group and individual painting workshops for women of all ages, known as “The Art of Feminine Embodiment”

I am inspired by my wonderful art mentor Flora Aube who is constantly evolving in her expression of the feminine in her paintings, and she encourages her students to do that as well whilst exploring and developing our own unique style. In fact each and every one of these women who are a part of this particular international artists circle, inspire me because we are all so unique in our expressions.

As far as landscape artists go, there are many whose work I greatly admire, but foremost amongst these is British artist Kurt Jackson whose expressive seascapes and landscapes take my breath away and make my heart skip a beat!

Governors Bay jetty is one of the iconic views of the bay. And I look forward to rendering my interpretation of the view down the bays, and of the jetty and its surrounds. In fact I am seeing a series of paintings coming on...