Stories from the Studio: Caitlin & Katherine Nelson
This week STA met up with Caitlin & Katherine Nelson in Yass at the sight of the mural Katherine is painting in honour of Cailtin’s dad Kim Nelson.
Ten years after Kim’s death the mural is a fitting tribute to a man whose creativity and generosity has left a lastly legacy on his hometown and the region.
Many of the elements Katherine has included in the mural are inspired by Kim’s paintings and will be familiar to the many who own and collect his work. The motif of the red shawl floating in space, an Art Nouveau styling and his true love the beautiful landscapes across the Yass Vallery are all featured in the design.
The creation of the mural is timed to coincide with the Kim Nelson Retrospective at Tyger Gallery. The exhibition features an impressive collection of work many of which have never before been publicly displayed. There are large oil paintings, drawing and limited editions prints on offer.
The Kim Nelson Retrospective at Tyger Gallery runs from 12-27 September 2025. We warmly invite you to attend the Grand Opening event on Saturday 13 September.
Saturday is also the only chance to view the display of Kim’s ephemera next door to Tyger at the Yass Memorial Hall. Paint palettes, media clippings, childhood works, and many of Kim’s best known and well-loved worked borrowed from private collectors. It’s a full day of art, live music and a place for the whole community to come together and remember this much-loved Yass Valley Artist who has left such a lastly impact of his community.
Caitlin has worked tirelessly over many years to realise the exhibition and gather the work together. The program is a love letter to her father and a celebration of everything he achieved.
The mural is possible with funds from YASSarts, the local creative group that Kim founded. STA are also proud to have been able to support this important mural project.
Tyger is a beautiful, relaxed and friendly gallery where you will discover art that will bring joy for generations. Visit their website before or after a visit to the gallery on the main street of Yass.
Kim Nelson
Community builder, loved husband and father & visionary artist.
Kim was a highly accomplished artist who lived and worked in the Yass Valley. Ten years after his death the impact of his life’s work are still felt across the Yass Valley and wider region. Many artists working in Yass today sight Kim as a inspiration, mentor and friend.
Kim was born on the New South Wales south coast into a farming family, he attended the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, studying ‘drawing from life’ before starting a career in graphic design and advertising concurrent with a career as a singer/songwriter in contemporary music.
Kim was the manager/curator of Cooma Cottage a National Trust (Australia) property on the outskirts of Yass. Which led him to a role as the senior curator of Calthorpes’ House and Lanyon, both heritage properties in Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
In 1996 Nelson left curatorial work to embark on a full-time career in fine art. He staged many solo exhibitions and completed commissioned art for a diverse range of organisations and individuals.
He created the regional arts initiative YASSarts which seeks to promote the arts & culture of the Yass Valley region of New South Wales.
Katherine will be working across the weekend the finish the mural. The rainy days this week have put the painting behind sceduale but created a fabulous oppotunity for you to see the mural being painted live. So be sure to visit Yass and be part of this historic mural being created.
The mural is on the side of Oddfellows Hall on Comur street and can be best viewed from the front of Ross’ Relics (a fabulous vintage junk shop and another Yass icon).
The mural has been generously supported by AGNEW Hire in Yass who waved the hired fee for the scissor lift and Dulux Australia who donated all the paint.
The project is possible with the support of Yass Valley Council and in particular their Heritage team.
Once completed the Kim Nelson memorial mural will join the
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From 2010 – 2014 he directed the Kim Nelson Fine Art & Editions Gallery located in a historic Oddfellows’ Hall in the heart of Yass. It was part work space, part gallery, part performance venue and became a cultural tourism hub for the region playing host to an amazing array of concerts, activities and events.
In 2013 Nelson was named Yass Valley Shire ‘Citizen of the Year’ in the Australia Day honours for his work in the community and specifically for his services to the art.
Though his work can be quite diverse he identified most strongly with symbolism and the spiritual, drawing much inspiration from the great works of the past. “I seek not to emulate the styles and techniques of the past, but to reinterpret and develop them in the present and for the future.”
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