Kay George

Artist Kay George was born in 1954 in Rotorua, New Zealand and has lived in the Cook Islands since 1988. A self taught artist George begun painting textiles and selling at the markets in Sydney in the early 80’s before joining a friend and opening their shop selling hand painted and printed textiles in 1985. During this time the artist also began putting her textile designs on canvas, soft furnishings and wooden furniture.

 

Along with her husband and fellow artist Ian George, in 1988, the couple returned to the homeland of Ian’s parents, Rarotonga, where they set up their small gallery Pacific Art Studio. From the studio George continued producing paintings and mixed media works. George has several commissioned works throughout Rarotonga, New Zealand and Australia and has many works featured in numerous magazines. George has also exhibited extensively in group shows as well as solo shows throughout Australia and the Pacific region. Her textile techniques have also been featured in media learning publications distributed by the New Zealand education curriculum services of primary school education.

 

In the year 2000, Kay was one of the guest textile artists whose work was displayed with the Auckland University of Technology School of Art and Design installation on Contemporary New Zealand Textile Art at the Biennial of International Design in France.