Amanda Westley

Ngarrindjeri artist Amanda Westley was born at Victor Harbor in South Australia in 1985. She says, “Growing up I experienced the best of both worlds, living the farm life 12 kms out of coastal country town of Victor Harbor. My father was a boat builder so the water and the ocean have always been a big part of my life.”

“My painting style is dot work and the bright colours from my coastal country hometown and the ocean are represented through my artworks. I have been painting from a very young age and my style is contemporary Aboriginal dot art. I have always enjoyed painting and the calm that it brought. I hope to continue creating pieces that are inspiring and brighten people’s day with my choice of colours.

My Land Lines series represents country from an aerial view. For Aboriginal people land has a spiritual and cultural connection and is so important to our identity and way of life. With this series I have used a combination of cool ocean colours and warm earth colours to represent my country, the small country town near the ocean. I have also introduced brighter colours such as pink and orange to represent how country looks during different seasons as well as different times of the day.

My family is one of the oldest Aboriginal families here on the south coast, so this land I call home has been a part of my family for a very long time. By creating this Land Lines series, I am acknowledging the important connection my family has with this land.”