Ochre Currents / Cracked Earth

This artwork is an amalgamation of two series of work. Both stories connect with this artwork:
Ochre Cracked Earth is painted up in natural ochres and acrylic paint to represent my Country, Kamilaroi Country. This style derives from my time on Country examining the landscape and feeling the earth beneath me quenching for thirst. Kamilaroi Country is often dry and cracked, but rich and deep in history, culture and story as represented by the space in between.
Currents is a representation of the shift in learning, rediscovering history and culture, and thinking and knowing through a First Nations lens. I have worked for the ACT Education Directorate across several schools on Ngunnawal Country for more than 15 years and have supported and observed overdue change in how Educators approach learning about and through First Nations cultures, especially through knowing the truth of our shared history.
I hear talk about our cultures, identity and our knowledges in present tense, I see respect for our cultures through the lens of our stories, and I feel a shift in attitudes and confidence in First Nations perspectives and knowledges highlighted in everyday learning.
The currents of positive change are flowing, the ripple effect is reaching further than before, and with this, my own knowledge, identity and connection to my culture grow stronger every day.

• 8 inch x 8 inch
• Acrylic and ochre on canvas
• Ready to hang (triangle hook)