About
My name is Katherine Herriman and I grew up in a small fishing town in Victoria, Australia (down the bottom), called Lakes Entrance. After finishing school, I moved to Melbourne to study psychology and social work. I chose to work with asylum seekers and refugee youth, helping them settle into their life in Australia. It was around this time I found my way back to making art. I can’t remember exactly when or why this happened. Although in hind-sight, at that time in my life there was more space, and more quiet, and more safety, than there had been in a long time. There were just less things getting in the way, so it naturally bubbled up to the surface ever so casually.
After a couple of years working as a social worker, in June 2009 I moved to Europe with my partner. We bought a motorhome, called her Nettle, and drove. We stop driving every now and then so I can draw and paint and my partner can pursue his passion, programming. With this life change, there is more space and quiet in my life than there ever has been. Audacious dreams began to tentatively emerge. I felt unsure about their right to exist and didn’t give myself permission to think them too much at first and yet they were there. They grow a bit bolder with every new discovery of other women who are already doing it. Women with businesses, who design and create and paint! I yearn to be one of them! I’m working towards this goal.
We’re still travelling but we’re beginning to dream of home, and nesting, and the life that’s waiting for us back in Australia. Instead of longing for quaint mediaeval European towns, my heart goes thump when I think of long dinners with friends, buying a house and making it a home, and regular trips to the library. We’ve reached the tipping point of our travels and are coming out the other end.
Nellie Windmill is the project of Katherine Herriman... (that’s me). Hi! I'm a painter. I create more opportunities for daydreamer types to keep their heads in the clouds. But really, I just want to add to the beauty in the world. Since 2009, my nomadic studio dwells in a motorhome called "Nettle", somewhere in Europe.
Hi Katherine, Love your blog…beautifully put together, gorgeous photos! Happy bohemian travels! : ) C x
I love your story and am so happy that I found you. What a grand adventure! Looking forward to following it! x x
I want to live in a motorhome traveling through Europe! I pulled my kids and took off for 5 months through Europe last year. I miss my vagabond ways….. Julie
Your work is really beautiful…love it
Your artwork is beautiful. Your list of dreams brought me to your site. It is a definite challenge to come up with 100 but such a rewarding exercise. The bohemian life is so exciting and will always be with you. I lived in my van for a spell. It had its challenges but it carried with it a definite sense of freedom.
Thanks Croft! I never did manage to come up with 100. In fact, I’m still not sold on the benefits of doing so. This pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter :) I’m a simple girl, I don’t need that much to make me happy.
Thank you for sharing yourself and your art so boldly. I am inspired and full of joy and relief to find, like you have found, there are other women striving to make a life true to themselves-to create art and live and breathe it. Paint on…
:)Dawn
Oh gosh, I am always so incredibly relieved when other artists share when things aren’t going well for them for whatever reason. Which is of course, partly why I share myself. There’s always a part of me though that worries about the image I’m conveying when I’m not always 100% positive about my art-making process; so thank you for the comment, which I can now use as a rebuttal to that inner critic!
x