Artists

Aisha Oscar

My name is Aisha Oscar. I am a Bunuba artist and I live in Junjuwa community, near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

I started painting Winyja when I was a young girl. The Winyja is a protective spirit responsible for creating the Winyiduwa country and law of my family. The Winyja looks after us, guides us and protects our family. The story of the Winyja was taught to me by my grandmother.

In 2013 I started painted boab nuts at the Social Enterprise Studio at Marninwarntikura. When I paint boab nuts with all the women in the studio I feel really good. We sit down and talk out our stories and learn from each other. When I paint boab nuts I feel relaxed and happy.

Amanda Smith

My name is Amanda Smith. I live in Bayulu community near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. My language group is Gooniyandi.

When I first started at Marninwarntikura, I worked as the coordinator of the Mobile Playgroup and then as the Tenancy Coordinator in the Community Programs Unit. In early 2014 I started working with the women in Marnin Studio learning how to dye scarves, carve textile blocks and print material.

I come here because I feel strong working with all of the other women. When I’m in the studio I feel more confident and when I take my scarves home to dye them together with my nephews, nieces and my only son, we all feel more connected. I really like to explain to the customers how I make my scarves and what I use.

When I share my stories and see the customers wearing my scarves I feel proud.

The silk scarves are dyed using natural bush dyes created at Marnin Studio in 2015. These bush dyes are made from plant material such as bark, leaves and mushrooms. The dyes we have created are made from plants including sandalwood, bloodwood, marigold, puff mushroom, mangrove, konkerberry, wild passionfruit, bush vics, white gum and girri.

April Jones

My name is April Jones and I live in the community of Bayulu near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. My language group is Gooniyandi.

I worked for a very long time at Mangkaja Arts Resource Centre in Fitzroy Crossing, painting on canvas. I moved to Port Hedland and Broome to teach language at TAFE and then later I moved back to Fitzroy Crossing to teach at Karrayili Adult education Centre.

In 2007 I came to Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre Art Therapy Studio to learn sewing and how to make curtains. In 2014 I started working with Marnin Studio learning how to create block prints and screen prints, which I use on paper, cotton, linen and silk.

I really like working here and I like to be creative. I feel good and happy coming to the studio and proud when people look at my artwork. I enjoy painting bush tucker including echidna, emu and turtle.

Cherry Smiler

My name is Cherry Smiler and I live in Ngalingkadji community. My language group is Gooniyandi. I’ve been working on community projects for many years. I learnt how to make screen prints on t-shirts and fabrics in the late 1980s at Bayulu community near Fitzroy Crossing when the teacher at Karrayili Adult Education Centre set up a small workshop. I went on to Ngalapirta School where I worked alongside the teaching staff.

In 2012 I came back to screen printing and I now work at Marnin Studio. I like to work with design and colour, and work with techniques that have stayed with me since my printmaking lessons at Karrayili.

I enjoy coming into the Social Enterprise Studio to work with the rest of the ladies, and share stories and ideas with each other. I feel relaxed when I’m at work in the studio. I hope to see our artwork go out into the wider world and for people to come in and see what we do here.

Deb Yaddah

My name is Deb Yaddah and I live in Mindi Rardi community near the Great Northern Highway in Fitzroy Crossing. I was born in Derby in 1967.

I first started painting at home many years ago and then painted with Marra Worra Worra arts workshop. I painted canvas and boomerangs and they were sold in Queensland. In 2007 I started selling boab nuts, paintings, tortoise shell and swordfish comb through Mangkaja Arts.

In 2012 I started painting at Marninwarntikura Social Enterprise Studio as part of the Boab Nut Project. We paint boab nuts here in the studio and my boab nuts are sent to Melbourne and Sydney and sold here in the studio shop. I like painting because it makes me busy and it takes my mind of other things. The studio is comfortable and we can enjoy painting. I feel relaxed when I’m painting at the studio with all the other ladies, all my friends. I feel good when I get paid for painting boab nuts. It’s the right way, sharing and caring with everybody.

As part of the social enterprise program I also make baskets. Nita Williams is my teacher. She teaches me how to weave. I’m used to it now and I do it at home to keep me busy.

Eileen Forrest

My name is Eileen Forrest and I’m a Walmajarri woman living in Ngurtuwarta community near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

I started painting a long time ago. I painted for Mangkaja Arts and with the ladies at Marra Worra Worra in Fitzroy Crossing. In 2013 I started painting boab nuts at the Marninwarntikura Social Enterprise Studio.

I come to the studio because I really like to paint with the ladies. We like to work together and to paint together and it’s great to earn money to buy food for my family.

I really want to stay here at the studio and help to grow the social enterprise program; to help the ladies at Marninwarntikura feel strong and do more business activities.

June Smith

My name is June Smith and I live in the community of Bayulu near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. My language group is Gooniyandi.

A long time ago I worked at the GoGo Station School (now Bayulu School) as a Teacher's Aid, teaching sewing to grade one students with some old people. This was my first job. I've worked at the Bayulu Store, and also as a cook for a while for the old people.

I started working with Cherry Smiler and some other ladies on silk screening at Bayulu in our little house. I came to work for Marninwarntikura women’s resource centre several years ago as part of the art therapy programme where I went back to sewing again!

I like working at Marnin Studio because I can relax and ease my mind to do the things that I love, like silk screening and lino cut block printing. I feel happy with all the women around here and getting creative. I would love to see more women coming to be involved, especially the younger girls.

Kaye Forrest

Kaye Forrest is a Walmajarri woman living in Ngurtuwarta community near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia

She comes from a family of well known painters and is a regular painter at the Marnin Studio boab nut dry season paint-up. Kaye's main painting theme is bush tucker.

Nita Williams

My name is Nita Williams and I’m a Wangkatjangka woman from Junjuwa community near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. My mother and grandmother came from the Great Sandy Desert.

In 2006 I was working at home on the verandah making baskets in pretty colours when June Oscar was driving past my house. She stopped and said, ‘They look really good. Can you come to the Women’s Resource Centre and show the ladies how to make baskets?’. I said, “Alright then.” I’ve been coming here ever since. I work with ladies at the Women’s Shelter and run workshops in communities such as Ngumpan, Nookanbah and Junjuwa.

In 2013, I started painting boab nuts at the Social Enterprise Studio. People really liked our boab nuts and the orders started coming in so I stayed to help paint boabs to sell in Sydney and Melbourne. Painting is really big in our family. My mum paints for Mangkaja Arts in Fitzroy Crossing.

I like to paint. I feel good when I paint boab nuts at the studio. I can relax and really think about my painting.

Sharlene Chuguna

My name is Sharlene Chuguna and I live in the community of Bayulu. My language group is Walmajarri.

This is the first time I have worked in a creative way. June and April told me about the work in the Social Enterprise Studio and got me to come along with them. Since then I have learnt about screen printing and lino printing.

I come to the studio to learn more about screen and lino printing, about how to work with colour and new techniques.

I feel good coming into the studio. I feel good when people enjoy my art. It is a nice, quiet space to be. I want more women to be able to come into the studio and enjoy this space.

Joan James

Joan James is a painter from the Junjuwa community in Fitzroy Crossing, West Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Joan is an established painter with a home-based practice. Joan delivers her boabs to Marnin Studio on a regular basis throughout the dry season when the studio is buying boab nuts to fullfill business orders.

Joan is a much loved artist and part of the extended Marnin Studio family.

Phyllis Waye

Phyllis Waye is a painter from Bayulu community near Fitzroy Crossing, West Kimberley region of Western Australia.

She began her painting career with Mangaka Arts in Fitzroy Crossing and joined Marnin Studio as a boab nut painter in 2015.

Phyllis paints bush tucker from the Great Sandy Desert.