I am of Aboriginal descent (Anaiwan). I am the great-granddaughter of Joan Jones (nee Richardson) whose mother was Annie Murray, an Aboriginal woman born at Nundle, NSW. I am recognised as part of the Aboriginal community at Uralla (oorala - meeting place/camp - where people come together).

My totem is the echidna. In a past life, I worked in Aboriginal cultural heritage management and archaeology.

I grew up on the north coast on Gumbayngirr Country (Coffs Harbour) and have a strong affinity with the ocean. My father was a marine engineer and my parents met scuba diving, therefore I spent the early years of my childhood on boats and in rock pools. I was very blessed with an amazing childhood early on.

From 10 yrs old and onwards, I struggled with my parents divorce and my father moving overseas, which set me up with a lot of unresolved childhood trauma and mental health issues. As an adult, these wounds have manifested into OCD, perfectionism, codependency, social anxiety, self sabotage… the list goes on. I have hurt people and they have hurt me.

That’s probably why my grandmothers got me into art…..to keep me out of trouble.

Today, I am a mother to four beautiful children, and am married to Christian - a Woiwurrung and Maneroo man and CEO/Co-founder of Yerrabingin.

Where there is trauma, there is also an opportunity to grow and heal. My art practice is to work through what happened as well as what didn’t happen but also to connect with others as we all experience trauma, pain and suffering. This is part of the human experience. However, I hope you can also see the beauty of it, that’s why I paint with the aesthetics of nature and culture.

“Art is about the dynamics of the human experience” - Danny Glover.