An introduction to the artist, Kelly Batsiokis

First off - I am not a blogger.

When I was a child it was an epiphany for me to discover the full-stop. Before then, my sentences were long & rambly & I'd often finish the sentence with something like '& that was the end of that'. It's been over 30 years, & my sentences are still long & rambly, so I feel I need to disclose this before I spend a little time talking about myself. Consider this a disclaimer, & continuing to read is at your own risk. 

I have always been 'arty'. When I was a child it was mainly pencil & watercolours. I only delved significantly into acrylic paints as a teenager & young adult, & always on paper (the occasional school mural or garbage bin) -  never on canvas. Post-university, where I studied a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) at the University of Adelaide, there is a conspicuous amount of time that I didn't do much art at all. Life got in the way, & I was busy teaching nursing, paramedics, midwifery, massage & naturopathy students biosciences & human anatomy/physiology & pathology. I only revisited art in a tokenistic way from 2012 due to a relationship breakdown & moved from teaching anatomy, into smoking cessation training for Cancer Council SA. This was my first toe-dip into non-profit land. It wasn't until 2019 that I started taking art seriously again. At this point I discovered that I loved painting at scale, on canvas & in acrylics, but most of my current work is considered mixed media. I typically mix ink, Posca paint markers, charcoal & soft pastel. Whatever material will produce the effect I want in my head.

Since working in the training/education sector, I have worked at two non-profits as an employee (Cancer Council SA & Diabetes SA) in an education capacity & a business development perspective respectively. I currently work as a pro-bono Company Director (No Barriers Education Foundation SA) with a dual focus in social media & communications. I have also worked as a management consult (Health Outcomes International), where most of our business was with government departments in the health & social services sectors across Australia. More recently I have undertaken project work for the state government in South Australia (in digital health - particularly clinical engagement). My non-art-related professional work experience is actually quite eclectic. I plan to scale my art business in 2023, & I am looking forward to the challenges going forward as I explore my new state (having resided in Adelaide, South Australia previously) & learn what the local Brisbane art & business community have to offer.

Art has always been a means for me to switch gears. It has been a welcome means to support my own mental health & I love the process of creating something beautiful & bold & getting my hands dirty. The painting behind the image of me is my favourite to date - a gang-gang cockatoo called "Elvis". Gratefully re-homed, appreciated by a repeat collector & hopefully happy (reproduction prints available of this guy from this link)!

Many people ask me why I donate so many paintings to charities & why I do so much work 'for free'. This is a choice, as I support every single one of the charities due to an alignment of values. Being able to donate my time & skills to support many of these very small charitable organisations is a privilege, & I feel that I have a social responsibility to support organisations that support others'. In fact, going forward I would like to have a role as a conduit between corporations in the private sector & the non-profit sector. Watch this space!

I already have a sense this is a bit long! I may leave it there! If you have any questions please connect with me on social media through the links below, or contact me using the Contact Us link. There are also some daggy, bad-quality photographs & videos of myself talking about my process & my artwork on there for the curious! My social media also contains a lot of my sold work over the years so you can see my evolution as an artist.

Looking forward to 2023!

- Kelly Batsiokis

www.instagram.com/kellybatsiokis

www.facebook.com/KellyBatsiokisArt