Catherine McGuiness is a painter with a growing reputation for her colourful, expressive work spanning painting, drawing and large-scale murals. A three-time Archibald Prize finalist, she has exhibited at major Australian institutions including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Biennale of Sydney and the Australian Design Centre. Her work is held in significant public and private collections, including the University of New South Wales and North Sydney Council. Catherine’s solo exhibition Night Blossom is touring this in 2026 to Museum of Art and Culture yapang (Lake Macquarie) and Grafton Regional Gallery.
Catherine works with Studio A in St Leonards, a professional arts organisation that supports artists with intellectual disability to develop and sustain careers in the visual arts.
Q&A with Catherine
Tell us about your connection to North Sydney.
North Sydney is part of my studio, Studio A. We have had two studios in North Sydney. The first one, Crows Nest, the old studio, was too small. Now we are in a new studio in St. Leonards. I have been working in North Sydney a long long time, years. We got a new new studio now, it’s a big place, and I love it. I love this place. It’s a good place.
What are you working towards at the moment that you’re excited about?
Priscilla, my portrait I’m working on is Priscilla. It’s me dressed as Priscilla [Presley]. I am painting it for the Archibald at the NSW Art Gallery. Yes. I’m excited about my portrait. I love my portrait.
What are you most proud of?
My portrait of Shan [Turner]-Carroll for the Archibald last year. Shan is an artist and in my painting he is a little little mermaid. I did an artist talk with Chris [from Studio A] in the art gallery at Gosford Gallery on that painting.
What or who inspires you?
Under the sea creatures, little little mermaid, flowers, bunny rabbits and birds. I love colour. Colour of the rainbows. Elvis Festival in Parkes, Priscilla, my next project!
Tell us about another notable woman that you admire?
Gab is my boss, Gab is a lovely lovely boss, I am the assistant manager to her. Nerida is my best best friend from school. Cass is a very kind teacher. She’s a lovely lovely lovely staff member at Studio A. I’ve got two godmothers, one in Sydney who is my auntie and one lives in Canberra who is my cousin and we all have the same birthday. They and my mum, they support me and what I do. They work hard every day. My mum teaches people about personality types, she does important work. She was also a school teacher. My sister-in-law is a school teacher, she teaches kids, special needs kids.