Tribe: Minjungbal/Bundjalung (Tweed Heads, NSW)

Dunghutti (Kempsey/Bellbrook, NSW)

I am 27 years old and was born and raised in Tweed Heads. I come from a large family; I am 1 of 13 children. I also have 2 children, a 3-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl. I only recently began painting around mid-year 2020. For me, my extended family have always had a fairly strong connection to our Aboriginal heritage. I grew watching older siblings and cousins practice traditional song and dance, and also connected to culture through artwork. In 2011, I began traditional dancing with the Jaran Aboriginal Dancers. Since then, I have been a part of many different dance groups including the Yugambeh Aboriginal Dancers, Kids Caring for Country and Bundjalung Kunjeil Aboriginal Dancers. Through being a part of these groups, it has taught me a lot about my culture from songs, stories, lore’s and protocols. For me it was almost a natural progression to express myself through traditional artwork. During the pandemic in 2020, I was stood down from my employment, I took that as the perfect opportunity to pick up the paintbrush and stay connected to culture in that way. Since then I have sold a number of my artworks and also gifted a lot to many people who I connect with, many strangers that I have taken on tour at Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre. I paint mostly with Acrylic on canvas but I have also experimented with natural pigment such as clay (ochre) and natural dyes.

Through my artwork I hope to bring cultures together and bring a greater understanding about our Aboriginal culture and people, I want all people to feel a sense of connection to this land and the stories, as I do..