When Katja Katholing-Bloss put a paintbrush to canvas in Australia for the first time, she had no idea that she was about to uncover a hidden talent that would shape her future hundreds of miles away on the boarders of Wales and England. Now after several successful group exhibitions in the UK, the former Coleg Gwent student is heading to her German home town for her first solo exhibition.
Looking for something to fill her time after being made redundant from her job in Australia, German-born Katja took part in a two-day painting workshop in Sydney’s Royal Botanical Gardens, and to her great surprise, uncovered a natural talent and real enthusiasm for art.
“I’d never painted before, and had no idea what I was doing!” said Katja, 41. “The course was painting insects, and I had this huge butterfly. I just didn’t know where to start or how to tackle it but I just kept going.”
Katja’s teacher was blown away by her work: “She told me she couldn’t believe I’d not painted before and told me I should take it up and carry on after the course finished,” said Katja.
With this in mind, later that same year when Katja and her husband moved to Hereford, Katja enrolled on a Botanical Art course at Coleg Gwent’s Monmouth Learn-IT Centre to discover more about the discipline which sparked her passion.
The course, run by Coleg Gwent Lecturer and local artist Debbie Devauden, teaches students how to illustrate plants in detail, using pencil and watercolour. “Debbie is an amazing artist and really helped me to develop my skills,” said Katja.
“The course was great in terms of learning the technical skill, and the social part of it allowed me to meet other local people. It gave me the motivation and encouragement I needed and I even took part in my first group exhibition at the Centre in Monmouth.”
Producing work inspired by nature, including blackberries, lilies and sycamore leaves, Katja grew in confidence: “There were lots of opportunities for me to experiment with different techniques and really find my style.”
Keen to keep learning, Katja also attended classes run by different artists, joined the Gloucester Society of Botanical Artists and Ross Botanical Art Group, and took part in shared exhibitions in Hereford and Ross-on-Wye, with work in both watercolour and pencil.
“Studying flowers, vegetables and fruit is so fascinating, there is so much detail,” said Katja. “I like to use watercolours but I also love the subtle tones of graphite pencil drawings.”
Since finishing her Coleg Gwent Botanical Art course Katja is still a regular visitor to the College’s Learn-IT Centre in Monmouth, and recently shared her experiences with current Botanical Art students. Katja’s work now travels around the world, with a painting recently sold as far afield as Dubai. During September Katja will be hosting an exhibition of 30 pieces of her work in her home town in Germany.
Katja’s former Lecturer Debbie Devauden said: “Katja was an exceptional student with an excellent eye for detail. Her natural talent showed through very quickly in the sessions enabling her to produce some outstanding pieces of work. I wish her every success in her forthcoming exhibition.”
With her painting career in full bloom, the busy artist hopes to teach art in future, and has been preparing for life in the classroom with a Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) qualification. Katja is also planning to start a diploma in Botanical Art at the London Art College in the autumn.
“I’ve come a long way since I first painted in Australia, and I’m enjoying every minute!” said Katja.
