The Indigenous Artist Magazine Issue 2 - May 2017 | Page 72

Rebecca McGuinness is a 35-year-old Wiradjuri women, mother of three, born in Cootamundra but now residing in Wagga Wagga. A self-taught Aboriginal artist who practices every day and has been creating from an early age. She has been successfully selling her creative artwork since 2014. Her artwork represents her journey and story growing up in today’s society, “I paint in honor of my Elders and Ancestors past and present to keep out culture alive” she says.

Rebecca's artform is acrylic on canvas, watercolour, oil pastel cultural designs, wanting to concentrate on large statement pieces of cultural designs and stories. Rebecca draws her inspiration in art from Gabriella Possum, in life her own personal experiences, her dreams, her spirit guides and her family her children.

“Art is my way of life, it has supported me throughout different stages in life and provides a happy place, meditative space and therapeutic approach towards my silent suffering of depression and anxiety”, Rebecca says.

A quiet child that loved to draw and create with her family. Her Grandfather, Robert Desmond McGuinness – Jack, a proud strong but silent type never spoke about being Aboriginal or his family it just wasn’t talked about. “I still have issues today from the trauma of my childhood, one that I will not ever recover from that still haunts me today at 35-year-old women.”

“All through school I felt a sense of disposition I never fitted in. I was so shy I hated school didn’t understand most of the concepts and was laughed at a lot. But during Art class a warm calming feeling always poured over me. I never really interacted with others just created made my pieces and grew, learnt, and developed.”

Rebecca faced many challenges in life, moving out at the age of 16, rebelling and making negative and poor choices in life. She struggled with her identity and place of belonging, very angry at the world and feeling misunderstood. By the age of 21 she had her first son Jarrod, who she says, “saved me from myself”, her than partner left while she was pregnant and she took on motherhood as a single parent. Jarrod became very ill and flown from Cootamundra for repertory distress as his lungs collapsed. “My world came crashing down at the thought I would lose him, he recovered in Randwick Children’s Hospital.” Coming from a broken home, was tough, her parents divorced when she was eight.

2003 saw a positive change in her life, when meeting her now husband, he was the father her son never had. The relationship had challenges being a on again off again relationship but today 14 years later they are stronger than

ever.

journey of my art

Rebecca McGuinness