Journey with a Collection of Portraits is a captivating account of Kathleen Notman’s colourful life and how her experiences, and the people she met, influenced her art. Notman, born in 1929, grew up in the Midlands of England and lived briefly in Singapore, before emigrating to New Zealand. Through her own experiences and observations she brings to life some of the historic events that shaped the 20th century and explores her own journey of self-discovery- a journey she has catalogued through the years with portraits which blend painting and photography. Narrated in the first person, Journey with a Collection of Portraits, is cleverly crafted and strikingly illustrated with Notman’s own art. The story behind each portrait is explained as Notman fulfils her need to return them to the places – and the people – that inspired them. Journey with a Collection of Portraits not only provides an insight into the life of a determined and gifted woman but it also provides an insight into the female psyche and how art tells its own story.
