“The turtle has a strong soul giving strength and harmony to those around them, even in stressful times. We had a pet turtle for ten years who we found in the alpine ranges. We would often think about his journey through those choppy waters, and how he found my youngest son down by the waters. The connection with this turtle inspired me to investigate turtles and how we learn from them and their way of life. The artwork is designed to show how the inhabitants all successfully live together underwater in their loa maggalangta (deep water), even in choppy waters. In Palawa, the Aunties said that they travel between Victoria and Tasmanian shores which also held a connection to my ancestry. My hope is that you have this painting to inspire, remind and increase awareness of our beautiful underwater world and that you protect it as we do in Our Culture”.
N’Dene Riley is an artist best known for her luminant imagery of the ocean and sea life. With ancestry from the Parrdarrama Pungenna and 6 Rivers tribes in Palawa (Tasmania). Her involvement in Culture and the Community has shaped her painting development. N’Dene’s artistic journey began with watercolours. Drawing inspiration from the land and the sea, she found a love for sketching. In her artwork, N’Dene’s brush paints a story about the calmness of the ocean and the interconnectedness of all our systems and living beings. Through acrylics on canvas, she paints stories, weaving circles, and symbols to symbolise the unity of life.