"Creating gives me a sense of freedom and connection to our culture and ancestors." 

I am Krystal, a proud Worimi woman with family ties to the Biripi and Guringai Peoples on my mothers side and my father is New Zealand. I also proudly have French, Chinese, English and Scottish Ancestry. 

I grew up on the banks of Taree’s Manning River and the beautiful salty sea on the Mid North Coast. I spent many warm summers fishing, swimming and gathering sea foods at Forster and many coastal inlets around Taree. 

This place is my home and the home of my Ancestors, including the surrounding region. 

I now live and work on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra and practice my art on this beautiful landscape. 

Yes! It’s just me with a huge help from my partner Kimiah and best friend, Tarran. Together, they help carry the load to go above and beyond to support my dream of becoming a full-time artist.

Art is my passion, it is an extension of who I am, where I come from and who I belong to. Art is my identity. 

Since I was a wonai (child) I have been surrounded by arts and culture, and spending many moments with my family.  

I would describe my arts practice as “speaking through art” which travels within the crevices of the canvas or gliding in the stillness of each brush stroke or sketch. 

I feel sometimes the voices of First Nations people not heard, valued or deeply understood. Through my arts I hope it inspires, it educates to make a lasting impact in our communities. 

I hope to make a lasting impact to keep our stories, language and culture alive by empowering people to feel proud when wearing a pair of statement earrings or with a colourful print on your wall.

Aboriginal art is not just “art”, it’s our identity, an extension of every essence of who we are which transcends time and space. 

So with each piece I create, a piece of me lives on.    

Marrangbu – thankyou for supporting me. 

"When you share aspects of your culture, you are sharing a part of you. An identity of a thousand voices echoing through the land, and within yourself. An identity flowing through the bloodstream of your spirit. The stories of our ancestors speak and live on by the rhythm of our tongue. We must not stop the rhythm of storytelling."

 

 Images by @Jessika Spencer