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My Black Soil Country

“I paint it in different colours but it always goes back to my black soil Country. We’ve got a lot of black soil Country throughout our Country. Once you’re in it you can get stuck in it. I remember being stuck in black soil Country and had incidents even after being told not to go there. Because of me having encounters on black soil Country I can recollect my times on my Country. They would say, don’t go that way, that’s black soil Country! But sometimes there is only one road. It plays a big part in me, that’s what I think about in my Country, that black soil.”
 – Christine Farrer

This artwork celebrates Country — not only land, but a living place of spirit, story, memory and identity. Country is saltwater and desert, wind and rain, sandhills and tide, waterholes and mangroves, sky, animals, plants and ancestors. It is where families walk, hunt, fish, gather, camp and teach the next generations.

When the artist paints Country, they are sharing a map of home and belonging. Lines may follow the dunes and tidal creeks, dots may mark water places or bush foods, colours reflect the seasons — the deep blues of the sea, the soft greens after rain, the hot reds and warm sands of dry Country. Every artwork holds a story: places visited, footsteps of old people, language, knowledge and the feeling of being out bush.

The artist invites the viewer to see Country the way they do — alive, powerful and always connected to family, culture and community. Country is not separate from people; it is part of who they are. Painting it keeps that connection strong, honouring the past, carrying knowledge forward, and sharing it with others.

Categories: Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community LaGrange Inc

Name: Christine Farrer

Language: Gija

Community: Bidyadanga

Biography:

“I paint with seeds because seeds is my thing. Seeds brings new life. Whether it’s from plants, animals or people. A lot of paintings and things were done by men only because back then, women were gathering food and caring for kids. I was inspired by my uncle who is an artist and I really wanted to paint but knew I had boundaries and that’s why I use seeds as my theme, because it’s bringing new life.”
– Christine Farrer

Christine (Wybier/Wytbier) Farrer grew up in Halls Creek. Her mother’s side and grandmother’s Country is Ngarrawanji, and her father’s side is from the Northern Territory. She is Luunga, Gija woman from Ngarrawanji. Inspired by her uncle, who painted animals and landscapes around Halls Creek, Christine developed her own style of painting using seeds as a way of telling stories and respecting cultural boundaries.

Now living in Bidyadanga with her Karajarri husband and family, Christine paints her black soil Country and the plants and animals that bring new life. She is passing her “seeds style” on to her daughters and children.

“When I paint, it relieves me from the overload in my mind. I use it as therapy to release the ideas that are stuck in my head. Painting is the only way I can connect to my home and Ngarrawanji Country because I live far away, in Bidyadanga.”
– Christine Farrer

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