"Art is life...life is colours, texture and guts; with the magic of each stroke, I strive to put together a dramatic image which travels through my eyes into your emotions. My goal as an artist is to bring it all together into one viewable moment. In all my paintings, I aim to create a sense of intrigue."

Kate Smith was born in Manchester, England in 1947 and in 1952, she immigrated with her family to New Zealand.

After leaving school, she worked as a textile design assistant. Then in 1968, she and her husband started a fashion label 'Dante’ where they designed and made fashion items for "swinging sixties" boutiques.

By 1973, Kate was a mother of three and her focus changed from pins and needles to pursuing a career in art. Within a few short weeks (after teaching herself to draw from a 99 cent "How to Draw" magazine), she became Auckland's first sidewalk artist in Parnell Village - Auckland’s trendiest shopping and café precinct.

By the following year, she had her first solo exhibition in a commercial gallery exhibiting her pastel portraits - 'Tangata Whenua' (People of the Land).

In 1975, with her husband’s encouragement, she became a full-time professional artist and the family breadwinner. They moved to Australia in 1981, where her career has flourished ever since.

Kate has held many solo exhibitions Australia wide and has received many accolades and art awards during the 50 plus years she has been painting.

As well as her current figurative works, she produced a body of landscape work between 1983-1991 - culminating in the publication of her book 'Alice & Beyond'.

You can read her full bio here.