Ngurambang Birrang Gallery has just opened in Trundle. The gallery shows the work of full-time artist Cheree Stokes.
Cheree, who lived in Trundle some years ago, returned home as her gallery name translates to ‘travelling to country or home’. She describers herself as an Aboriginal Artist, Poet and Storyteller.
Cheree Stokes is a self-taught Contemporary Aboriginal Artist whose original works depict a moving story of her journey to find her way back home.
Cheree was born during the era of the “Stolen Generation” and is the child and grandchild of a “Stolen One”, born to a father who was removed from his family and who himself was born to a mother removed from her ancestral land.
Cheree has painted all her life, with her early works expressing a delicate European style, and it wasn’t until 2016 that she felt inexplicably drawn to her deep ancestral heritage and started painting in the traditional Aboriginal style.
Today Cheree’s Original Artworks are called “Healing Works” which incorporate her unique style of bold bright colours and gold crosshatching on black, and 3-dimensional “healing dots®” with each dot created singularly and with painstaking detail. Unlike most original artworks, Cheree’s works are meant to be touched and it is said that when one rubs their hands over her works they create a calming and healing effect.
Cheree plans to open up her gallery to other artists for special occasions, like the ABBA Festival and Bush Tucker Day.
She has also started art lessons for children and adults, and will display their work at the end of each unit.
Read more in the Parkes Phoenix
Find the gallery on the ABORIGINAL EXPERIENCES, GALLERIES and HANDMADE maps.
IMAGE CREDITS: Parkes Phoenix
