About Kaz

A studio shaped by the coast

Vibrant botanical acrylics and abstract works, emerge from daily exploration along the Tweed Coast.

In The studio

Current Practice

Daily coastal walks along the rocky shoreline, nearby parks and bushland allow me to quietly observe the rhythms of nature. Its revolving cycle of colours, textures, weathered surfaces and markings constantly catching my eye.

Photos, sketches, journal notes and small collections of fallen flora make their way back to the studio, becoming the foundation for experimentation.

Working in acrylics, pastels and pencils across canvas, paper and board, I move between large works and smaller support studies, chasing expressive marks, colour, texture and movement.

Layer by layer, each piece organically resolves.

From the Beginning

I’ve always been a maker

From my earliest memories, nature has been the spark. Camping, star gazing, bush walks, rocky headlands and beach strolls collecting seeds, pods, leaves and shells, always with a sketchbook and pencil in my backpack.

These places still shape my creative vision today.

As a Primary Teacher, I surrounded my students with colourful flowers and art materials — we grew botanicals, then painted them. The classroom was full of opportunities to create, built on a belief:

“Imagination flourishes through making.”

A self-taught acrylic artist, my work moves between detailed, unkept botanicals in rustic earthenware vessels and intuitive, colour-rich abstract pieces.

Interior of a modern room with a white console table decorated with a vase of dried flowers, bowls, a candle, and a decorative black candle holder. A colorful floral painting hangs on a teal wall above the table.

Artist Kaz Hughes, standing in an art studio next to a colorful painting and art supplies.

Interior bathroom wall with oval mirror, wall-mounted light fixture, green vessel sink, a yellow cabinet, a colorful still life painting of vases and plants, decorative tiles with floral pattern.

A person holds a framed painting of a floral arrangement with yellow and dark flowers on a blue background, in an art gallery or home.

Artist Kaz Hughes sits on a chair in front of colorful abstract paintings in an art studio.

Philosophy

My hope is that each artwork creates a colour response at first glance.

Then, on closer look, connections and narratives begin with the subject matter, movement, colour and light.

Inspired by the Australian bush, coastline and changing light, my work reflects the vibrancy of nature and invites a deeper connection to home. I hope every piece offers something personal.

A sense of place that keeps unfolding as the light changes and moves throughout the day.

View the Collection

Selected Exhibitions

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

Perspecta II, Studio 8, Currumbin, QLD

Still Here, Studio on Brunswick, Brisbane, QLD

Perspecta, Studio 8, Currumbin, QLD

2026

2025

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

Coastal Foraging, Mist Gallery, Cabarita, NSW

2023

AWARDS & FINALIST SELECTIONS

Finalist, Flourish, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane, QLD

Finalist, Independent Visions Art Prize, Studio on Brunswick, Brisbane, QLD

Finalist, Petite Pieces - The 100, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane, QLD

2026

“Our painting ‘Wild Bunch’ is just so bright and happy. We have some of these natives in our own garden. It hangs in our kitchen/dining room where everyone can enjoy it.

Thank you. We love it.”

—Julie

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