Jandamarra Cadd

Mornington Island Dancer

The Mornington Island Dancer painting was done as part of a series of called Coloured People. Sometimes that term was used for dark skinned people in the past and was used in a derogatory manner. But this series was to show that yes they are coloured, very colourful people with such a rich cultural and spirituality. I met this subject at The Dreaming Festival in 2010 and asked if I could paint him just after a performance they did on stage.

bio:

 

Jandamarra is a Sunshine Coast-based Indigenous Artist and Art Teacher with his origins being the Yorta Yorta People in Victoria. With an art career spanning 22 years, he began visually documenting stories from his tribal area and over time has evolved to become primarily a portrait artist. He uses a variety of styles and mediums, favouring oil on canvas, and uses his art to express messages of unity and unconditional love. 
Painting has been a way of life that has enabled him to express his creativity and the universal truth of connection. In many of his paintings of the human condition, he seeks to be a voice for the oppressed and minorities.
His focus is to use portraiture in a way to allow the viewer a glimpse into the depths of humanity and the expansive expression of the individual soul.