SPRING OF LIFE

I was asked to create a piece that captured what this property would have had happening before colonisation, as the property has a natural spring which I have put in the middle of the piece as a focal point where many tribes would have stopped by or camped near for the continuous flow of fresh water which is what the 3 smaller gathering places represent. I have captured their journey from the ocean through the sand dunes through to Kelly's Swamp, with the footprints representing their journey.

The boomerangs represent them returning to the spring often. The turtle represents where my clients released a long necked turtle into the swamp. The small nests of eggs and bird tracks represent the eggs and birdlife that would have been a constant source of food around the swamp as well as the bushtucker being represented by the leaves and berries under the swamp. The pattern in the swamp where the circles join look woven as it represents the basket grass that would have also been sourced and used.

There are eels on each side of the spring as they live in and around it, the emu and kangaroo tracks also represent the native animals that would have used the spring as a watering hole. The cows hooves represent the cattle that are on the property now, with the larger circle representing my clients home and family, who often see the Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos and Wedge Tailed Eagles flying around their property.

The stone axe represents where one was found on the property which reminds them of the First Peoples existence before the occupation of the land. The dogs paw prints are their pet dogs, that once would have been dingoes as pets hundreds of years ago. The flowering gum in the bottom corner represents a special place on the property that my client finds soothing and therapeutic with the layers of colours representing the good energy that comes from that.

101cm x 76cm Acrylic on Canvas