Artiz Street Art at USQ

Katie Whyte

Studying how painting can influence our understanding of space, Katie completed a Bachelor (Honours) of Visual Arts at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba. After this, she began studying and working as an optical vision therapist. This career change was a departure from the arts and a step towards a clinical understanding of visual perception.  Alongside a team of behavioural optometrists,  she trained individuals to more effectively navigate through space and interpret their surroundings. Returning to the studio, Whyte’s painting practice continues to explore this parallel between the process of deriving meaning from vision and the abstraction of painted forms.

Simon Degroot

Simon is a visual artist and educator who creates work for exhibition and large-scale mural painting. His practice investigates ways that abstract graphic forms can carry meaning in contemporary painting. He uses abstraction and translation to encourage visual connection and recognition in his work considering how painting can be used to highlight a sense of place and identity and build a visual experience of being in the world.  Degroot works collaboratively with council, businesses, artists, school groups, and communities to facilitate public art projects for students while also creating large-scale public murals in his own practice. He has completed significant public work for: The City of South Perth, Bundaberg Regional Galleries, Queensland Rail, Cairns Regional Council, Brisbane City Council and The Brisbane Hilton.