I am a First Nations Consultant and Aboriginal artist. I am a ‘Freshwater’ woman of Wiradyuri people. I am a self-taught artist and paint in acrylics. Painting quietens my mind and connects me with my Culture, family and Country. It creates a sense of belonging and strengthens my Aboriginal identity.
I started painting to relax from the stress of full-time University studies in 2009. After a lot of expressed interest in my artwork and strong encouragement from an Aboriginal Elder, who advised that I have a responsibility to share my cultural stories and preserve my cultural traditions; I started painting for several art exhibitions.
My first entry won the main award, and the artwork sold. Since then, I have won several awards, exhibited in National galleries including Parliament House, and have created many commission pieces for clients and organisations both national and international.
My painting style is a contemporary fusion of abstract art and iconography, which is Aboriginal symbols. I use flowing lines and groups of symbols, to narrate my story. These movements echo the way my old people communicated with me while drawing flowing impressions and symbols into the ground. This was their way of sharing knowledge with me. Their visual representations are clear in my mind, and I mimic the same movements in my artworks as a way of preserving my cultural traditions. I sometimes use dots to narrate a story.
Wiradyuri people are ‘River People’, skilled hunter, fisher-gathers, bush trackers and intelligent environmental scientists. Growing up by the rivers and in the surrounding bush was my way of life and an important element of my families’ cultural connection and way of life. These natural environments sustained our every need, and our lives were so closely woven into the rhythms of the landscape.
For me ‘Country’ is all things, it is a place of belonging and a way of life. Country incorporates rivers, creeks, waterholes, hills and valleys, plants, animals, and people. Country embraces the seasons, constellations of the sky, traditional and contemporary Stories. These elements are often reflected throughout my artworks.