Life and love in art
Written by April Spadina
Kym Latter is a joyful explosion of colour. With her purple hair, her bright funky earrings and her wild overalls, she is a vibrant breath of fresh air.
From humble beginnings, Kym’s life can only be described as full to the brim. Growing up in remote North Queensland, Kym discovered her love of art at a young age and after studying art at university, Kym moved to Brisbane to pursue a career in graphic design. She quickly discovered that designing business cards for a living was not for her and before she knew it, Kym’s life accidentally became a whirlwind of web design in the dawning of the age of the internet.
Kym was a highflier – literally! Her skills in webpage design saw her flying business class around the world and living in the fast lane – this lane would eventually see her crashing with burn-out.
After 20 years in the stressful corporate world of IT, Kym made a life changing decision to leave the high life behind and travel with a different purpose in mind – to find Kym again.
She boarded a plane and headed to Southeast Asia with her young child, and it was there that Kym absorbed the rawness of creativity by being a part of a lifestyle that was stripped back and genuine, and her heart begin to heal.
Eighteen months later, a tragic family event would bring Kym to her loved ones in Maryborough where she would once again be involved in an internet business, but this time as her own boss.
She successfully grew an online business in cattle tags, a strange concept for an artist but Kym is not your usual human. Teamed with her knowledge and skills, she has created a “perfect storm” and become a successful entrepreneur.
But it’s the art classes Kym holds in her small studio in Maryborough’s CBD that really make her light up.
“Happy Creative Classes” for kids, teens and all-abilities, Kym teaches to create with freedom, to let go of inhibitions, and explore the feelings that getting messy brings you in a completely non-judgmental environment.
Kym’s studio is dipped in quirkiness, rolled in colour and sugar-coated in glitter. Most materials are recycled which adds to the expressive and unpredictable nature of the creations the kids achieve!
This vibrant human is like a lovely, colourful bird that has flown around the world in a burst of energy, finally coming to land in an explosion of rainbow feathers in Maryborough.
Kym is a sparkly jewel who has nurtured herself through art and colour, and with fire in her belly, she is now nurturing the young budding artists of the Fraser Coast.