October 7th, 2026Artists of the Central Highlands
Kristeena Saville was an only child to a single mum, giving her time to draw.
Her mother worked long hours as a waitress, spare-parts driver, cleaner and delivered telegrams; some of these jobs were simultaneous. Her struggle was noble. Her dad had been a gaolbird. She didn’t really see him, but was close to his parents. His mother, Doris, was a vaudeville star who strongly advised Kristeena that once you have children, your career is over. Everyone loved and hated her, she was accused of neglecting her family for her love of being centre stage. Kristeena loved her, she was her creative inspiration. Moving along, the late 70s in St Kilda was something else. Kristeena’s father died at 37 when she was 15.
“I blocked out reality with dancing. The era was of funk, soul and Le Freak. Then, live music hit town, where I experienced quite a few music legends, danced on stage with Bo Diddley, sang face to face with Doc Neeson, and raged to some younger versions of the musicians I’ve been drawing more recently. In the 80s, with only a high school education, my big start was in a print factory, doing typesetting, paste-up, and illustrations. These skills enabled me to land a job at Mushroom Records, in the art department. It was there that I learnt the process of screen printing and designing around those limitations, which has carried through a certain pop flavour in my work.
“The 90s had peaks as well, for the main chunk of that decade, I had my own studio in St Kilda in which Arid Zone Promotions, Brolga screen printing and Art Smart (me), worked in unison to deliver a complete promotional package, we had some big-name clients. From all highs, seemed to come lows for me, after that, I wanted to focus on painting and hired myself out for murals. This is all prior to myself being a single mum here in Daylesford, which was hard but fun, made me less precious and learnt to go with the messy art. In the middle of that, I got a BA of Fine Art at Ballarat Uni and majored in ceramics, which wasn’t a big segue because I already made clay sculptures from life models back in Melbourne. Is art a distraction from life or is life a distraction from art?” Kristeena chatted to Donna Kelly.
Donna: When did you realise you were an artist? Kristeena: I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t, maybe fed by a desire to fulfil my father’s dream of being one. Tragically, my father’s artworks were destroyed or lost, and I only have one bad photo of a devilish self-portrait he did, the original fell off the wall and was destroyed when he passed. As a child, I would occasionally send drawings to my dad and get his attention, his interest in me was so rare that I think it stuck in my child brain as love and acceptance which feeds into that great debate, are artists born or made?
Donna: You have different media. Is one more loved than another? Can you tell us a bit about what you do?
Kristeena: The pencil is my symbol of hand-brain connection. In the act of drawing I find my happy place and the medium I choose is often the most time-efficient or it’s available and/or inexpensive. I’ve been very diverse and really like to re-purpose and work with imbued energy.
More recently, I’ve been using iMovie to create short videos because it’s expressive and easy. Honing my skills in pen and watercolours is my latest quest; because watercolours are portable they can fit with re-purposed paper and pens in the small vintage suitcase that I use to travel and draw. It makes a lot of people happy to see me out doing this semi-performance art. Meanwhile, I always have other projects floating around, book illustration, graphic design or commissions that are usually, but not limited to, acrylic paint. It’s all about overcoming limitations.
Donna: What is the art scene like in the Central Highlands? Kristeena: The best thing I did was start the Daylesford Life Drawing group 10 years ago, and what has become of that has been an amazing camaraderie. Since Clay Space was moved on, there isn’t anywhere to go and throw some clay about, that is truly affordable. Tina and Marija at the Convent are supportive of my workshops and always welcoming, I should hang out there more often, do my portraits and get some more of those workshops happening.
Each year, the Daylesford Art Show helps artists connect and display some of the amazing talent in this area. Recently, I joined Daylesford Arts, and it’s nice to be included. The general consensus is that exposure between those two bloody roundabouts is missing. A gallery in that precinct that also invites youth and contemporary art would be a breath of fresh air. I suppose it’s what you make it, there are opportunities around and one has to find their place in the complex matrix born of a desire to create in preference to doing normal ‘sane’ things.
Donna: What inspires you? Kristeena: Humanity, how we ride the waves of life and what coping strategies we devise. I enjoy humans, so the engagement with the sitter makes for my best portraits, and in the case of musicians performing, the connection is played out on a lot of extra levels. I think performing under pressure in the essence of the moment keeps me from trying to imitate classic ideals, just go with the neural connections that I started forming in early childhood and be myself, a lifetime in the making. Life itself is art, a passion expressed through food, garden, styling…ad infinitum. Art is everything beyond function.
Donna: Where can we see your work? Kristeena: I have an exhibition opening on Thursday, October 15, 6pm at Hepburn Palais. Free entry, no nudes, just musician portraits. Works are drawn at this fabulous revamped venue as well as at Odessa Bar, Daylesford Hotel, Theatre Royal, Castlemaine etc. So it’s a celebration of this area. There will be live music at 7.30pm. If you’re not a party person, the display of my works will be ongoing…minus what gets sold.
Image: Contributed
“Recently, I joined Daylesford Arts, and it’s nice to be included. The general consensus is that exposure between those two
bloody roundabouts
is missing.”
