A Beer with … Kate Birrell

 

Kate sketching out on Station Place, Glen Huntly 2023

 

 

A beer with …

 

Kate Birrell

 

 

Short Bio:

Kate Birrell is a Melbourne-based artist who also works in health care. She has five children and runs ultramarathons when she is not cheering on her beloved Tigers. Her paintings have been featured on the cover of the Footy Almanac since 2013.

 

Can you tell me where you spent your formative years?

I spent my formative years in the Sunbury/Diggers Rest area. The farm we lived on for my earliest years sat beneath a Tullamarine flight path. I have strong memories of a dry, rugged landscape with steep thistle-covered embankments that dropped into Jackson’s Creek. We moved to Sunbury township and then to Melbourne when I was a teenager. Moving to Melbourne, or the big smoke as country relatives called it, seemed like a big deal at the time, probably because my parents came from rural or regional towns.

 

What are your earlier memories associated with footy?

My earliest memories associated with footy go back to preschool days: the pungent smell of Dencorub, the striking colours of Dad’s Romsey football jumper, and that distinctive sound of football commentary from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

 

 

A picture of the Find the Ball competition, late ’70’s.

 

 

How did you become a Carlton fan?

The first footy team I followed was Carlton. In 1976, roughly, I won Spot the Ball, published in our local paper—I think it was called the Sunbury Press. The prize was a voucher to be spent at the local sports store, and as Jesaulenko was a favourite then, I decided to barrack for Carlton. I confess I later switched to the Tigers in the early 2000s.

 

 

  10 year old Kate with her brother and grandfather heading into the 1977 VFL Grand Final at the MCG, possibly the replay.

 

 

What are your memories of going to suburban VFL grounds?

My first VFL games were at Arden Street with my dad and brothers. Later, our family moved to Essendon, where the local streets filled with traffic around Windy Hill. Saturday afternoons were punctuated by the sound of sirens and the roar of a crowd.

 

How did your love of painting start?

I had always painted throughout school. I considered studying fine arts but chose nursing because it came with a weekly pay cheque and the opportunity to live out of home and party at will.

 

You come from a healthcare background and have five children. How have you developed the mind-space for a creative outlet?

I eventually carved out space for a creative outlet after having my last child in 2005. The other four were at school by then, so I had some time during the day to do different things. It was also a way to channel the busyness of this life stage.

 

 

 

 

Tell me about your first exhibition.

My first exhibition was a series of domestic scenes reflecting on motherhood. It was at the Chapel Gallery in Prahran. Around this time, our kids were playing a lot of footy! This tipped me into the start of my footy paintings, as I loved trying to capture movement, shape, and colour.

 

What is the feeling you have when you have completed a painting?

A finished painting feels great because the mind can stop thinking about it until the next one starts. Relief if it’s a commission and the client is happy. However, deciding to state that it is finished is not always evident. It’s often a point of saying, that’s it for now, and if nothing draws you back into it then it’s left to be.

 

 

 

 

What has it been like having your artwork featured on the cover of the Footy Almanac?

It was great to be asked to do the Footy Almanac covers. The first one, featuring Luke Hodge in 2013, would have been my first job outside the close network of family or friends. There was little time to produce the work, so that meant getting straight into it and trying not to worry about getting it wrong. I also got a great kick out of doing the Women’s Footy Almanac cover, as it was quite a turning point for women playing Aussie Rules footy.

  

Why is Melbourne’s suburban life a focus for you?

Melbourne is a focus because it is where I live and surrounded by its way of life and people. It is a relatively young city compared to other cities worldwide, so I find a rich reward when I look both at the present and the past to see how the city has evolved in a relatively short time. Painting is a way of telling stories.

 

 

Kate coming up The Giant Staircase at the 46km mark at UTA50 in the Blue Mountains, May 2024

 

 

I’ve long been curious about what draws people to running ultra marathons (as you now do); what appeals to you about it?

My ultra marathon was on the short end of the scale at 50km, but I’ll take it. It was not something I had set my mind to do specifically, but rather a result of realising that after several years of consistent training on nearby hills in the Dandenong Ranges, I thought maybe, I could give it a go. I love being out in the bush on various terrains for hours. The beauty of the landscape, stunning sunrises or sunsets, variation in weather, flora and fauna all make time seem to dissipate. There is an amazing sense of freedom or immersion when out on trails, especially when running solo. You become the master of your path.

 

How do running and painting complement each other for you?

Running complements my painting—the physical movement of running balances out the sedentary nature of working at an easel. Both pursuits require considerable focus to determine the best way forward. Running shakes things around like a sieve, sorting thoughts out and eliminating the superfluous.

 

What is the backdrop to your painting (e.g. silence, a particular style of music, the general hubbub of the house, etc)?

With painting, I’m usually happiest when listening to daytime radio. It’s my happy place for news and current affairs, as I rarely sit and watch TV.

 

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on a series of street scenes based around the suburb of Bentleigh. I’m also working on some pieces for an upcoming group footy art show in September.

 

 

Footy Budget questions

 

What social media are you on, and what role does it play for you?

I mainly use Instagram @lookatmelbourne and @thisfootylife. It has worked well in connecting with new customers. It is fast, visual and immediate.

 

Favourite food?

Sunday Roast

 

Favourite drink?

Schweppes Lemonade

 

Favourite sound?

Opening a bottle of lemonade and hearing it fizz and bubble as it is poured into a glass.

 

Best Pub?

Pacific Hotel, Yamba

 

What is the last book you read?

Showing Up, Nedd Brockmann.

 

What is your favourite piece of art?

My favourite artist would be any work by Sally Gabori

 

What song do you currently have on repeat?

The current song is on repeat: Today, it was Gang of Youths. ‘Let me Down Easy’ It’s an excellent ‘running down a hill’ song. But most days, it would be anything by Floodlights, ‘Painting of My Time’, in particular.

 

What type of pet do you have? (and name)

No pets. Daisy, my duck, is long gone, as too have the chooks.

 

One word to describe your life at the moment?

Running from one thing to another but satisfied in doing so.

 

Who would you invite to a dinner party of six ( yourself included)?

Dinner party for six – well, I’d invite my x 6 guests to a Xmas lunch and add them to my very long kitchen table with the rest of my mob, including my parents. They would be any of my ancestors who decided to leave Ireland in the mid-late 1800s. I would love to know about their experiences, their hardships and their thoughts in arriving and setting up new lives here in this beautiful country that we have here in Australia. It’s something I cannot imagine. I think it is important to know where you come from.

 

 

 

You can read more from Barry Nicholls Here

 

Barry Nicholls is a former A-grade district cricketer (for Kensington in Adelaide) who has written about the sport for three decades. He was a broadcaster on ABC Radio for nearly 20 years. Barry has written nine books, including You Only Get One Innings: Family, Mates and the Wisdom of Cricket and For Those Who Wait: The Barry Jarman Story and The Pocket History of the Ashes. He has contributed to Inside Sport, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanac Australia and other publications. Wakefield Press is publishing his latest book on the 1972 Ashes series in 2024.

 

 

Coach addresses the under-10 Linden Park Primary School side in 1973, Barry Nicholls standing up, facing the camera, looking a little dazed.

 

 

 

To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au  home page click HERE

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help keep things ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

 

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE