Gloucester’s Gai Clarke was taught to paint by her father, Aboriginal elder uncle Jim Clarke.
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She grew up watching him paint and learnt the dot-painting technique from a young age.
"Dad painted because he loved doing it,” she said. “It’s about keeping the tradition going and painting the way dad did.”
A tradition she is continuing, recently finishing her first works since her father passed away two years ago.
Thanks to her friend, Dot Stokes, Gai has a series of her paintings hanging for the first time on public exhibition in Perenti cafe. It’s not only her work on display, but also that of her 17 year old son, Jack Wratten.
Jack was also taught by his pop, as well as his mum.
“It puts me in a relaxed mood,” he said. “And keeps my family heritage going.”
Together they have eight paintings and are going to create more with the hope of putting their work in a gallery exhibition. Gai wants to show Aboriginal art to the community.
"Not many people in Gloucester do it and it’s beautiful art,” she said.
Gai’s works focus mainly on animals, while Jack’s are mainly landscapes.
Jack’s paintings are a combination of his own ideas and the traditional works that his pop did. His inspiration has taken him to the top of the Bucketts, where he went for a visual image over looking Gloucester.
Jack isn’t the only son of Gai’s who has been dabbling in the arts. Her eldest son, Boe Clarke has done dot-painting work on old timber saws and even his guitar.
Gai has been known work on traditional canvases having completed a dot-painting on bark for her HSC. She said it took her two years to complete from the time she found the right piece of wood, got it prepared and finished her works.
“And it got lost in transit after being on display in Sydney,” she said.
Although her current work is on modern canvas, she still seeks her inspiration from nature, working on her paintings at home.
“Mainly outside, under a tree,” she smiled.