About Guundie
Guundie Kuchling bounced into life in the famous Austrian city of Salzburg. From flower girl to sausage sizzler, from snail breeder to beach comber, Guundie has done it all – and never lost the passionate interest and curiosity of a child. This is the key to her success as a visual artist and writer. Guundie has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.
Her arts practice focuses on painting, drawing, print making, sculptures, textiles and picture book illustration. In talks and workshops, Guundie enchants her audience by talking about art, animals, books, the environment, food, and other sources for her inspirations. She gives examples how to come up with ideas and to shape them into plots; she demonstrates how to use a lino block for print making; she unleashes the writer and artist in each of the students, young and old, and gets them creating works of their own.
Of course, there is also her husband Dr Gerald Kuchling. He is travelling the world as a conservation biologist and has saved Australia’s most endangered turtle, the Western Swamp Tortoise, from the brink of extinction. Guundie has been his field assistant. Gerald is the co-author of her two Yakkinn books and also the chief advisor for all her other non fiction picture books. He is certainly the chef in their kitchen and the big open fire place outside. The Kuchlings have a backyard populated by interesting objects, native animals, fruit trees and vegetables. Their indoor pool houses fishes, frogs and turtles.
Curriculum Vitae
Guundie Kuchling, Master of Fine Arts, University of Applied Art, Vienna. Her oil paintings, water colours, lino prints and sculptures are represented in art collections in Europe (e.g. The Vienna Museum), the USA and Australia, including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Holmes à Court Collection and The Literature Centre in Perth.
Art Exhibitions
Selected Recent Group Shows
2024 | Finalist in the Mandorla Art Award, Holmes à Court Gallery. My artwork was selected for touring St John of God Health Care galleries in Perth after the main exhibition Finalist in the Minnawarra Art Awards Finalist in the Swell Smalls Art Prize, Queensland Stitched and Bound, Midland Junction Arts Centre; and then touring galleries in rural WA ReGEN (part of IOTA 2024), Moores Building Contemporary Art Space | |
2023 | Finalist in the Claremont Invitation Art Awards Finalist in the Bayswater Art Awards | |
2022 | Finalist in Sculpture on the Scarp (Darlington Festival) Finalist in the Ellenbrook Art Awards Nyisztor Studio, Melville: “Framed/Unframed” | |
2021 | Finalist in the Minnawarra Art Award Finalist for “Between the Sheets”, Gallery Central/Gallery East Lost Eden Creative, Dwellingup: “Pragma: Perils and Passions” Ellenbrook Gallery: “Natural Exchange” Ellenbrook Gallery, part of the Indian Craft Triannial: “When I saw you” | |
2020 | Holmes à Court Gallery, West Perth: “Hanging by a Thread” | |
2019 | Nyisztor Studio, Melville: “Scene 2019” | |
2018 | Finalist, Paul Guest Drawing Prize 2018. Bendigo Art Gallery Nyisztor Studio, Melville: “Double Shadow” | |
2017 | Finalist, Bendigo Art Prize 2017 (Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize). Bendigo Gallery Winner, City of Swan Art Award 2017. Ellenbrook Gallery | |
2016 | PS Art Space, Fremantle: “Zero” Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, Fremantle Zigzag Gallery, Kalamunda | |
2015 | Tresillian Community Centre | |
2014 | Metamorphosis Art Gallery, Willeton Galerie Magnet, Klagenfurt, Austria | |
2010 | Galerie Kontur, Vienna Mundaring Art Centre: “My Own Executioner” |
Recent Solo Shows
2019 | Gallery Central, Perth: “Love Letters to Life” |
2016 | The Mezzanine, Darlington: “Leaves of Life” |
2011 | Romanischer Keller, Salzburg, Austria: “Terra Amicitiae” |
2010 | Hotel Maritime, Manhattan, New York: “Turtle Testimonial” Galerie Magnet, Vienna: “Passion and Dreams” |
2008 | Galerie Magnet, Völkermarkt, Austria: “Austria-Australis” Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, Fremantle: “Terra Lumen” |
2007 | Galerie PAC, Vienna, Austria: “Lines in The Land” |
2004 | Atelier Heimo, Vienna, Austria: “Animal Gestalt” |
Selected Solo and Group Shows before 2004
1997-2002 | Access Studio, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Cullity Gallery, Perth. ArtsHouse, Perth |
1990-1997 | Fraueninfothek Drehscheibe, Vienna Gomboc Gallery, Perth Blaxland Gallery, Sydney Addendum Gallery, Fremantle Delaney Galleries, Perth United Art Gallery, Vienna Goethe Institute, Antananarivo, Madagascar |
Publications
12 illustrated books (1995-2015)
- Mega, Mega, Mates!
- Naked Notes
- Poppy’s Gift
- See Food!
- Silverskin
- Squiggle, Diddle, Plop!
- Today is a Day
- Tommy’s Pet
- Turtle-Taxi
- With Love from Head to Toe
- Yakkinn the Swamp Tortoise – Survival
- Yakkinn the Swamp Tortoise – The Most Dangerous Year