My Country
In September, when we are looking for gum from the Blue Gum Tree, we walk through the spinifex country. We pick the gum when it is crystal colour, and we eat it, or put it into hot water to make a sweet drink.
This painting represents the warmth and love I have for a lady I was proud to call my mother. After losing her, I as an artist felt myself being motivated to do a series of paintings to deal with my grief and the void she has left in my heart and life itself. The earlier pieces in the series used dark colours to represent the devastation and overwhelming grief of losing my mum (Aunty). I realised this painting is me slowly moving through the grief and beginning to find light again. This is my journey as an artist, using my painting to navigate the process that we all go through in life called grief. After working on this piece I realised that the colours I have used in the background represent the warmth and love my mum had for her family and those around her. The copper represents my Mum’s love and respect for her Country and many trips she enjoyed travelling with loved ones out bush.
In the last light of the day, the wildflowers and Country take on new colours. In the earth you can see glimmers of darker copper colours and deep burgundy as the last light of the day hits the Pilbara. The pinks represent the mulla mulla flowers and the desert sturt pea has changed from bright red to a subtle bronze red.