Larger than life, Katrina Goldsworthy has a great motto.
“If you can smile, you will get through it.”
Katrina, better known as the Bull Artist, is a born creative and her leather paintings of bulls, cattlemen and horses are spectacular.
The bulls almost walk off the canvas; you can read the cattlemen’s mind in her paintings and feel the action of the rodeo riders.
But there is a determination about Katrina; life hasn’t been easy.
“I have had many life-threatening situations, from losing our son with leukaemia, coming down with breast cancer and lately, bowel cancer, “she said.
“But through these major health issues, I’ve always got through my life with a smile on my face.”
“I like to speak about the journey in and say to people, if you can smile, you will get through it.”
“I’ve always been creative, but my niche fell into place because of the beef live export debacle,” she said.
“I wanted to make a statement to the world that our brief was of quality, and Australia is such a pristine country, that city people need to understand and be educated on what they have and not just take it for granted and abuse it.”
“The industry needs to be respected as do the people for their dedication to the country and their animals.”
“And so my art has developed from that.”
Katrina describes each of her leather paintings as a labour of love and an engineering feat.
“I find that painting on leather, is a bit like a tattoo,” she said.
“I buy the kangaroo hides, and the subject determines which hide I use, whether it’s a rough hide or a smooth hide.”
“Humans are usually smooth, cows and bulls are rougher, and horses come up great too.”
“When I’ve worked out the subject matter, I draw that on a big piece of paper to get the perspectives right because it’s all about perspective.
“Then I draft it onto the kangaroo hide, and then I cut out the kangaroo hide. Then there are months of painting the layers of the bull.
“Once it is completed in acrylic paint, I stitch it on the sewing machine. It’s a bit like patchwork and quilting; you stitch all the contours.”
“If you’ve ever seen wool carded, it’s the same thing, when you card wool it comes electrified. Well, the same thing happens when I stitch the kangaroo hide, the stitching wakes the bull up and all the contours and then all of a sudden when I’ve put it onto the canvas, it gives a 3d effect, and they look like they could walk off the canvas.”
“You are rushed off your feet,” she said.
“It’s also an opportunity to connect with people from the city, bridge the city-country divide and promote opportunities to see and experience the bush.
“We’re worlds apart. Distance is a thing. People in the city hardly ever go over the Great Dividing Range. “
“We have everything that the world can offer in Australia. We have Barrier Reef; we have snow, we have deserts we have you have beautiful harbours.”
“We have it all in Australia. People need to realise we do and, and go for it.”