OUR ARTISTS
Jessica Skeen McKinnon (Muralappi)
Jessica’s versatile artistic style is inspired by her strong family ties and a heritage of artisans. Her main influence is her father, who is a talented craftsman himself creating various tools used in traditional hunting rituals. Jessica is a descendant of the Burri Gubba and Kuku Thaypan tribes of North Queensland.
“Muralappi” translates to “youngest of my generation.” She started painting when she was only six years old. She was and continues to be influenced by her fathers passion for art and craftsmanship and is blessed with two young children of her own whom she hopes to impart with her skills.
Schools, local councils and Indigenous Cooperatives are amongst some of the groups she has engaged with to teach children about Aboriginal culture as well as hold workshops for the youth to learn more about her art form.
Nathan Patterson (Diwana Dreaming)
Nathan is a proud “Wagiman Man”. His mother is from Pine Creek in the Northern Territory where the Wagiman tribe are traditional land owners.
Currently a resident of Geelong, Victoria, Nathan is inspired by the Bush and its inhabitants. His artistic style is a fusion of indigenous motifs and western painting techniques, making his creations stand out. Nathan paints on various non-traditional mediums such as feathers, wood and rock. Each of his pieces is a collectors item and transcends generations.
As a well-known local artist, Nathan’s art has featured on the jerseys of the Australian Football League (AFL) teams: Geelong Cats, Collingwood Magpies, Essendon Bombers and Richmond Tigers during the AFL Indigenous rounds.
Tanya De Bono (Yakinno)
The essence of Tanya’s unique style is articulated by her tree bark textured pen sketches. You may find her in a corner of the local coffee shop quietly interpreting her dreams though these sketches.
Tanya hails from the Gundidtjmara tribe in the Western Victorian town of Warrnambool where she grew up.
Warrnambool is also home to an ancient volcanic crater called Tower Hill, where you will often bump into Tanya. Her tribe occupied this area even before the last eruption of the Tower Hill volcano about 34,000 years ago. Her artistic talent derives from the Gundidtjmara belief that the volcanic landscape features marks out the traces of a divine “creator.”, which is what inspires Tanya’s art.
Tanya is part of the Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Cooperative where she helps support their various initiatives including school excursions to Tower Hill and educating the public of indigenous culture and cuisine.
