THESE days Nerolie Bynder, whose artwork is part of the Swan Street Gallery, is no longer the shy artist who kept her back to everyone when she started attending art classes more than a decade ago.
When the proud Badimia-Noongar-Yamatji and now contemporary visual artist Bynder started art classes in 2010 she occupied a desk in the corner with her little son in his baby capsule on the table, she had little confidence.
But the success of her art changed that.
“I like the quiet behind the scenes but getting a bit more out there now,’’ she said.
“Professionally I started going to art and yarning in Langford Aboriginal Association in about 2010.
“Relationships Australia were having exhibitions for NAIDOC Week and I entered one in that for the first in 2010.
One artwork sold there for $150 and that helped get her inspired.
“I (also) liked the feeling of doing the art and the feeling of someone else liking it – they bought it straight away.”
Bynder has always had art around her as her mum was a kindie teacher assistant and she always brought arts and craft home.
Her artwork wrapped around the NBN box across on Great Eastern Highway near the corner of Victoria Street combines a series of the six Noongar seasons.
“I like how they have put it together as it’s all blended together in this piece of art.
“They worked with me to say whether that’s okay – so it doesn’t change the art too much.’’
Each season is represented by some elements out of the season including what animals are around and what food is eaten.
“I mostly do acrylic on canvas but I do a lot more murals now and workshops with students and the two women’s prisons.”
With her art there is always a message – a lot of the art comes from her own personal inner spirit and what she likes to give to others.
“When they see it they are always really amazed and love it, it gives them good feelings and vibes and the story connects lot of people together - I like that.
“A lot of people give me their stories and I can paint that for them from a couple of sentences as I can vision a picture for it.
“I do a lot of commissions like that if they are not for corporations, people get them as gifts with personal stories attached.
“My family connection are from the south to the Midwest – it’s good to have all that connection, I like to entwine it all into my art.’’
She has lived in High Wycombe and is always drawn back to Midland by family.
The Swan Street Gallery is a local arts initiative supported by the City of Swan with NBN contributing funding.