Aboriginal artists across Ngunnawal country use their paintings to reflect their own personal culture, identity, and healing journeys, while teaching all people to embrace the traditional owners. In this series, we speak with five artists living on Ngunnawal country who share their individual stories of growing up on country, cultural connection and healing their minds through art.
For the last story in these series, we speak to Leah Brideson.
“I was born on Ngunnawal country, but my mob are Kamilaroi. Connection to culture and country, while living off country, is pretty difficult and but I keep my connection through art,” says Leah Brideson.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve always been creative. I remember as a child just drawing and painting what I could see in the landscape.”
Ms Brideson began practising art professionally in her early 20s when she realised she had talent. It helped her work through her identity crisis of being off country, not being around family to celebrate culture, not having enough knowledge, and having lighter skin.
She worked through what she couldn’t say with her voice by letting her artwork speak for her.
“My signature style is cracked earth, which I developed during time spent on country where it’s so dry, the earth is cracking everywhere. It also represents discovering the pathways to learning more about myself, my culture, and helping other people,” Ms Brideson said.
“One painting that stands out is one I created after my first child was born. I thought I had lost my creative side because when I picked up a paintbrush, it was so hard to paint while focusing on taking care of him. I absolutely hated it to begin with but after letting it sit for a while, I realised it mirrored the complexities of being a new mum, so I dedicated it to my son.”
During lockdown she started painting on pot plants, along with her canvas work, and has found it’s a great way to bring culture into your home.
She’s also been working on portable murals commissions, which are perfect for when companies might move buildings or simply need to move the artwork to a different wall.
Ms Brideson hopes her artwork helps people read behind the story and connect to culture on a deeper level.
“You can interpret paintings how you want. It’s about connecting people with the beauty, the richness, and the depth of our culture. It’s timeless – we’ve been here for tens of thousands of years,” she said.
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