At 18, in her first year of art school, Kiya entered Motherhood. In the back of her 1964 HD holden- which would conk out at the lights- her baby boy would travel to the uni studio with her. Ever since, her painting practice has existed in a space where womanhood and motherhood collide.  A collision, she has at times, described as a war between “mother” and “other”. 

In an ongoing search for peace within herself, Kiya has strayed many times from painting, and has worked in different fields, including high school teaching, and psychology. That she keeps coming back to painting- what truly ignites her- is a testament to her intrinsic courage, curiosity, and determination to live out her most honest life. 

This honesty is the driving force behind her work. Stylistically, her practice tends to wander, depending on the many different “parts” that exist in her inner city. However, the consistent openness, vulnerability, and raw truth depicted in her paintings is unwavering, and at times brutal. She continues to work toward a sense of “landing” by working experimentally with vibrant, rich colour, expressive brush work, sensitive subject matter, and a style she describes as somewhat crude. 

Her work often depicts the female form- modelled from her own body- but which represents every woman. She hopes that others can find a relatedness to her own day to day struggles as a woman in contemporary society. Kiya describes feeling that she has never found a sense of belonging. Her art helps her to communicate, and to connect with others in a profound way. Her paintings offer her audience a lens through which she can be seen as she truly exists. 

Now living off grid on 100 acres on Yaegl country, Northern NSW with her husband and three children, Kiya has returned again to painting and continues to fumble as a human, woman, mother, and artist. She gently invites you to witness the raw beauty in this- a simple, and honest life.