I have been creating artworks since 1995 when we started our business Bidjiwong Art or Classic Koori Designs. I was taught by my eldest brother Robin O’Chin, the stories of my people and our culture and how to graphically capture them and pass them on.
My main inspiration is teaching and passing on knowledge and to make non-Aboriginal people aware of our stories and culture. It’s not always the happy stories either. Sometimes there is a lot of pain associated with our story and with art. I mainly strive to carry on the tradition of telling our stories through art for others to appreciate.
I have had no formal art training or courses. I trained as an Aboriginal community resource person and worked in primary schools and with early literacy programs where I discovered art as an important way to communicate and educate.