We were delighted to welcome our Worimi resident artist Jacinta-rai to our head office last week. This was the first time the Koh Living team had a chance to meet with Jacinta-rai in person, and the perfect opportunity to hear more about her passion for art, her inspiration for painting and stories of her culture and community first hand. Everyone enjoyed the experience - it was an absolute privilege for the team to ask these questions in person:
Who or what influences your art the most?
"The biggest influences would be people in my life and the experiences that I have been through or what the people in my life have been through, but it could also be a place, my children inspire me a lot with my art as well."
Watch the video answer in full here:
How has working with Koh Living or alongside Koh Living impacted your life and your children's lives?
"That's a good question, it has impacted us a lot, in not only has it made me super proud to be Indigenous, and be working with a company that helps our culture, continue to thrive and evolve with getting our art out there and our culture out there worldwide as well. But it's also helped our family financially which has been amazing. I've been able to do so many things, because I've got support and without me partnering with <Koh Living> wouldn't be able to happen.
Watch the video answer in full here:
Do you have a favourite painting style?
"I wouldn't really say a favourite style, but all my favourite artworks are acrylic on canvas, and my favourite artworks that I do are the bright pieces, I love colour, so anything that is super bright!"
Do you always paint what you love or do you do paint what you see? How do your favourite paintings evolve?
"It's very hard for me to pick a favourite because I connect with each piece differently. When you're painting the piece and you're telling a story, whether it's something that's really joyful and positive or something about past loved ones or which might hit your heart a bit. For me it's definitely the brighter pieces that make me feel happy, and when I look at them they make me smile. These are my favourites for sure."
Watch the video answer in full here:
What Koh products are your favourite?
"That's hard, but I'm going to say it's the big lamps, because they just have such an impact and they look beautiful, I've actually got one the school that I work at has this when you first walk into that admin building!"
Watch the video answer in full here:
Is there a particular message that you think about articulating when you're painting?
"When I'm doing murals I do so as a way to give back to my culture and community and I guess that's probably one thing that I always try and do, is give back in a way that I can. My art is a way that I can keep our culture evolving and thriving and striving. and a way to keep our story going."
Watch the video answer in full here:
And if you had three pieces of advice for young people growing up in today's age what would it be?
"Okay, be yourself and really be yourself and be proud of who you are, no matter who you are, where you come from, be proud. I think too though no matter where you come from you always can change, you can always make that choice to be better, your past doesn't define your future you can make be that change, for the better and be positive, be kind. Kindness is a massive one for me I always say to my kids before they go to school is be cool, be kind."
Watch the video answer in full here:
Tell me about where you paint?
"Where I paint has changed because we're renovating our house. When we were in our old house I used to paint on our deck which my hubby was very upset about as he had to try gurney the paint off the deck all the time!
Also when I do paint and I find my best work can be when I paint late at night. It could be 10 o'clock at night and then I'll start till early hours in the morning and it'll be 3:00am I'll think I better go to bed I've got to get up in two hours!
Watch the video answer in full here:
Do you get like a different perspective when you're looking down at your work rather than looking straight at it?
Sometimes I have the artworks up and then but a lot of the time for the detailing work it'll be in front and then I'll put it down, I'll get up I'll walk away, might go to the kitchen get a drink and then I'll come back and then I can see it from just like a different perspective than a different angle and think it needs adding to or changing. Do you ever actually finish one or could you just finish going back and just adding and adding and adding. I feel like I definitely finish pieces. I've heard some artists that feel like they can continually can go on, but I definitely feel like I reach a point where happy it's done!"
Watch the video answer in full here:
You know you really had to learn and practice and practice and practice
"Well thank you for saying I'm gifted. I feel I've always been creative always from when I was little. I always had that creative side of me whether it's you know arts and crafts like painting or in my hairdressing it was artistic I could go in you know create what I wanted on a person which is yeah using colour and cutting and creating that's an artwork in itself"
Watch the video answer in full here:
Who's your favourite Artist going back centuries?
"Haha centuries that's a hard one because I do appreciate a lot of the older art styles probably as you said like Picasso and Vega obviously they were massive, in creating the art culture from the start but I couldn't really pinpoint one that I like."
Watch the video answer in full here:
Best ways to Support Aboriginal Artists
We say they should buy Koh Living products. Not only are they going to get very high quality products, but like your mission of Koh Living is amazing. Not only do you support Artists but you also have an amazing range of giftware."
Watch the video answer in full here: