ARTIST BIO

Artist's Bio

Kalina Brew (also known as Kalina de Bruin) has always had a passion for the creative which initially led her to pursue a career in Interior Design. Following an interstate move and the birth of her first child, Kalina decided to set aside her creative pursuits and retrained as a primary school teacher. One particular year she was given the opportunity to teach Art at her school and, while guiding her students with their own creativity, she realised that Art needed to become a significant part of her life once again.

In the short few years since picking up the paintbrushes again, Kalina has presented works in a variety of group exhibitions, sold works to collectors around Australia and received her first Art Award placing Third overall in the 2022 KernArt Prize.

Having grown up in Melbourne, travelled and lived in Western Australia and Canada. In 2023, Kalina and her family travelled around the East coast, North and Central Australia, gathering inspiration at every stop. She is now based on the outskirts of Melbourne at the gateway to the beautiful hills and beaches of Southwest Gippsland, Australia.

Kalina’s works span a variety of subject matter, with a main focus on landscapes. Painting with bold brushstrokes and intense colours that amplify the natural beauty of the sun's impact on the sky and surfaces, and seasonal changes in nature. Her breast cancer diagnosis in 2021 saw her work turn inward, reflecting on the emotions and experiences of facing ones own mortality, then shifting towards more joyful pieces celebrating all that we have to be grateful for and more recently capturing the wealth of experiences from recent travels.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts (Interior Design) RMIT 1998

Graduate Diploma in Education (Murdoch University) 2009

Awards

Third Prize overall in KernArt Art Prize, October 2022

Exhibitions

'Shadows at Play', MAVA online group exhibition, October 2021

'Change', Group exhibition at Cube 37 @ FAC, November 2021

'smART', Small Works Group Exhibition at The Track Gallery, February 2022

'Smorgasbord', Group exhibition at The Hut Gallery, March 2022

'Winter Solstice', Curated Group Exhibition at ArtSpace Wonthaggi, June 2022

‘Bloom’, Group Exhibition at Kinross Arts Centre, August 2022

All1ance, Group Exhibition at MiRA Gallery Marysville, September 2023