My paintings and photographs are designed to uplift and inspire my viewers. As a woman artist focusing on the female experience, I create art specifically for people who uphold women. Together, we can show the world that we, along with our daughters, are capable of achieving anything we set our minds to!

My name is Kerry Inkster, and I was born in 1972 in a small, dusty town in South Australia. From a young age, I was captivated by the transformative power of imagery and found immense joy in creating art. My early school days were filled with a passion for learning new artistic techniques, particularly those that embraced chance and accident through the use of paint and ink.

The excitement of gestural brush strokes and the thrill of pouring, dripping, and splashing paint invigorated me. I loved the spontaneity and energy that manifested in the final results, which brought me a profound sense of freedom. Colour, too, was a deep fascination of mine; I was intrigued by how certain colours placed next to one another heightened their intensity.

Portraiture and figures held a special allure, providing me with a unique challenge: to capture the essence and vibrancy of a person’s personality through my art. It was a task I felt compelled to undertake, driven by my desire to convey the intricacies of human experience on canvas.

My parents didn't make any real efforts to encourage me to explore career options, and the idea of becoming an “artist” was certainly off the agenda. I distinctly remember how my early influences, such as Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock, were openly mocked when their art and the exorbitant prices it fetched were showcased on television. By the time I reached senior school, my parents discouraged me from pursuing art further despite my clear passion for art and my disengagement from subjects like mathematics and science. As a result, my artistic aspirations remained stifled for many years.

It wasn’t until my 30s, when I was a wife and a mother, that I began to rediscover my passion for art. I became friends with another mother from our baby group, and we started creating art together. This reinvigorated my interest, leading me to enroll in drawing classes at our local university. Over the course of more than a decade, I diligently studied part-time and ultimately earned a Fine Arts degree.

I graduated from the University of South Australia in 2012 with a Bachelor of Visual Art, specialising in Painting. My outstanding academic performance earned me the UniSA Medal in the Division of Science, Education, and the Arts. Additionally, I became a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, which invited me to attend President Obama’s Inauguration in January 2013. This event offered me the unique opportunity to join nearly 5,000 students from around the globe for the University Presidential Inaugural Conference. Unfortunately, my then-husband did not permit me to attend.

In 2013, my artwork was selected by prominent South Australian art connoisseurs, including Nick Mitzevich, the then Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia and currently the Director of the National Gallery of Australia, to participate in The Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition. This participation was an incredible honour for any graduating tertiary student.

Throughout my artistic journey, I have turned to my work as a refuge, using paint and imagery to explore my feelings. In this process, I came to the painful realisation that my children and I were victims of coercive control and domestic abuse. Coercive control typically involves manipulation and intimidation that leave victims feeling scared, isolated, powerless, and dependent on their abuser. This awakening led to a long and arduous divorce, steeped in trauma, but ultimately, it freed me to embrace my identity as an artist.

Today, my work celebrates powerful images of women standing in, emerging from, or swimming through water. I paint and photograph the female figure in bold, unique poses, empowering women to celebrate their freedom with confidence and to live audaciously. My subjects are strong, beautiful, resilient, independent, and above all, valued.

Through drips and splashes of paint, I evoke a sense of liberation. Vibrant colours and stark contrasts further communicate the essence of confidence I wish to portray.   

The underwater world serves as an otherworldly, nurturing, and healing space for my women to explore. In this realm, they are free from restraint; they can be whoever they choose to be - everything I wish for our daughters. My paintings uplift viewers, resonating with the shared experiences of women. I am a woman; my subjects are women; and by painting women, I express the belief that we - women and girls - can achieve anything we desire.