HOUSE & GARDEN
THE CREATIVE TYPE
KITTY CLARK
The owner of Sydney’s Saint Cloche gallery shares her life-long passion for creativity, both personally and professionally.
(Featured in the November 2019 issue of Australian House & Garden)
I was encouraged to be creative from a young age. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother who was a school teacher. She made a lot of my clothes and was skilled at craft. I was always amazed by her ingenuity.
I began my professional life as an artist and then I worked in fashion, which I absolutely loved. But I became tired of the familiar and needed a challenge creatively.
Saint Cloche was initially intended to be a concept space where I could connect with like-minded creatives, while showcasing all that I’m passionate about – contemporary culture, art, design, plants, coffee. Within weeks of opening, I realised there was a hunger for an art gallery that gave opportunity to the ‘undiscovered’. In 2016, after a year of operation, I decided Saint Cloche’s focus would be to champion emerging artists and connect them with new collectors. Having my own business means I’m able to spend time with my children – aged two and seven months – and that means the world to me.
I’m always looking for new things to inspire me. Music, popular culture, art, fashion, food, film and documentaries, the environment, other art institutions. I travel overseas at least once a year to be inspired by other cultures. Spain, Picasso’s motherland, is my favourite destination.
My creative icons include Oscar Niemeyer, Picasso, David Lynch, David Hockney and Tom Ford. My favourite next-gen creatives are too numerous to list, but they include Faye Toogood, Andrés Reisinger, Grant Levi Lucero, Nicolas Party and Evi O.
My favourite fashion pieces? I can’t live without my black Celine sunnies. Black peg-leg denim jeans are a staple, dressed up with one of my many structured blazers or a leather jacket. I love fine tailoring. My idea of true luxury is having more time to enjoy being with family and also to be creative.