Chern’ee Sutton is a contemporary indigenous artist from the Kalkadoon people of the Mount Isa area in Queensland, Australia. She takes her inspiration from the tales of her people and embraces themes of reconciliation, inclusion, sports and charity. Her style of painting incorporates traditional indigenous motifs, presented in a fresh and harmonious manner.
Chern’ee entered her first art competition at 13 years of age and won first place in the open category and has been painting madly ever since exhibiting her artworks at Queensland’s Parliament House and selling to collectors from around the world all whilst still at school.
Brooke Sutton is a contemporary Aboriginal artist and a proud Kalkadoon woman from the emu foot province around the Mount Isa area in North West Queensland. Brooke has had a passion for painting since she was 8 years old and she has won various local art competitions and been commissioned for several artworks all whilst still at school. Brooke’s Great, Great, Great Grandmother is an ancestor of the Kalkadoon people, and she is the younger sister to renowned artist Chern’ee Sutton.
Brooke is a talented young emerging artist who paints her people’s stories which are visually unique in colour, composition and texture. Brooke is already building a reputable client base capturing the eyes of Government departments and collectors from around the world.
Jesse Sutton is a proud young Kalkadoon man & contemporary Indigenous artist from Mount Isa, QLD, Australia. Jesse is part of a family of Artists who are passionate about their culture & history & want to share that with the rest of the world through their art. Jesse has been painting from a very young age, he has won various art competitions both locally and nationally and has sold his artworks to collectors from around the world. He has worked with local and Government Departments to create stunning pieces and has collaborated with his sisters renowned Aboriginal artists Brooke and Chern’ee Sutton on several projects all whilst still at school. Jesse’s artworks have been commissioned by The Australian Defence Force, St.Lukes Anglican School, SKG Services, Centrecare and Local to name a few and he has just launched his latest collaboration with SPENCIL where his artwork has been used on a range of children’s school items including backpacks, pencil cases, book covers, drink bottles etc. Jesse has also collaborated with QBD Books and National Geographic where his artwork has been used on an exclusive range of bags, cups, placemats and coasters.
KK Fabrics have now incorporated their designs on fabric.
This painting is my interpretation of “Yurtuyurtu”, “Wataari” and “Rantani Kalu” which means in the Kalkadoon language “crocodile, dragonfly and platypus. This painting represents the animals journey through life and their connection to the land.
Designed By Chern’ee Sutton
This painting tells the story of how long, long ago all birds were black and had no colours. They all looked the same except for their shape and size and through selfless actions black bird was magically turned to the beautiful rainbow lorikeet so everyone can now see she is as beautiful on the inside and she is on the outside.
Painted By Chern’ee Sutton
This painting is called “Igan Iti” in the Kalkadoon language which means “Honey Ant”. My painting is my interpretation of the honey ant and his life. The honey ant stores food for his brothers and sisters inside his belly until such a time that food is scarce, he then keeps his family alive by sharing his stored food with them. The honey ant is a delicacy to the Kalkadoon people who dig the ants from the rich red soil and use them as a source of food.
Painted By Chern’ee Sutton
These paintings are called “Jullen Guh and Tankin” in the Kalkadoon language which means “The kookaburra and the Jabiru”. These paintings represents the grace and beauty of the Jabiru and how he performs a special dance for his one true love. The other birds watch in admiration of this special dance, all except the jealous kookaburra who laughs in the distance.
A 33 INCH PANEL
These paintings are called “Matjumpa Ritjinguthinha” in the Kalkadoon language which means “Kangaroo Dreaming” and they tell the story of how the kangaroo got her pouch. Long ago the kangaroo had no pouch and her young had to hop along beside her, there were many dangers and obstacles for the young joeys. One day a fire threatened Matjumpa and her joeys and so she was granted a pouch so they could escape the flames.
This painting is called “Warma” which means “Corroboree” in the Kalkadoon language. This painting represents the many different styles of body paint that the Kalkadoon men and women paint themselves with while they are performing special corroborees and dances. The ceremonies were an important part of the young Kalkadoon children’s education, learning about their culture and Lore with some ceremonies being a rite of passage as they grew up into teenagers and adults, some ceremonies were for men’s business and some were for women’s business.
This painting is called “Ntia Utinat Kutu Dreaming” in the Kalkadoon language which means “Stone Emu Egg Dreaming”.
Kalkadoon people have looked at the stars and used them to follow their dreaming tracks or songlines for thousands of years and had a very good understanding of the motions of the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars throughout the year. Stories about the stars and constellations were passed down from generation to generation and this painting tells the story of the Emu in the sky and the stone emu nests.
Painted By Chern’ee Sutton
Q SLEEPY LIZARD
This painting tells how the frilled neck lizard was transformed from the sleep lizard into the fastest of all lizards running on two legs to catch his prey.
Painted By Chern’ee Sutton
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GROW BIG 30 INCH PANEL
This is my interpretation of “Yaunati” which means in the Kalkadoon language Grow Big.
When the endangered loggerhead mother turtle returns to lay her eggs she is very lucky indeed for she is the only one in a thousand of her friends and family that have survived and made it to adulthood which is 30 years old. From the time the turtles are hatched they face a world of danger on land and in the sea from foxes, birds, sharks and fishing nets to name a few. A mother turtle always returns to the place of her birth to lay her eggs which is why these special places need to be looked after for years to come. In my painting the small turtles are plentiful as they emerge and start their new lives, as they enter the ocean and the years go by their numbers drop rapidly until only 1 turtle returns to start her family. The spirit trails link all the turtles together as without all of them none would survive to Yaunati. The turtle is a special animal that needs our protection and understanding.
Painted By
Chern’ee SuttonU MOUNTAINS
This painting is called “Ntia Purrku” in the Kalkadoon language which means “Mountains” and this painting represents the many mountains in Kalkatungu country that are home to my people.
The Kalkadoon people were extremely tall and muscular which was a result from the mountainous country and valleys they walked and climbed and also the diet they had. They were one of the healthiest aboriginal clans which was attributed to their diet of wild game, fruits, vegetables and fish. There was an abundance of grass seeds, edible roots, vegetables, vines, caper, pea’s and berries and also mineralised water from the rivers and streams. This painting is my interpretation of Kalkadoon Country with the undulating mountains and valleys that are home to my people.
Painted by Jesse Sutton
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This is my interpretation of “Walumarra” which means in the Kalkadoon language “Womens Business”. For thousands and thousands of years while the men were out hunting large game the women too were out hunting and gathering bush foods and medicines. They would use their digging sticks to dig for bush yams, honey ants and witchetty grubs. They would collect plums and bark from the wild plum bush using the plums as food and the bark to treat skin ailments. They would collect berries and wood from the conker berry bush using the berries as food or drying them out to eat at a later time and they would burn the wood for a mosquito repellent. They would collect wild lemongrass and boil it to make a lemon tea for sore throats and they would ground the pea bush seeds to use as a flour. They would collect nuts from the sandalwood tree and roast them slowly to eat like peanuts and they would collect blossoms from the hakea tree and immerse them in water for a sweet tasting drink.
In my paintings the women sit on their bottoms with their feet underneath them with their digging sticks on one side of them and their coolamons on the other side. They firstly collect the bush tucker and then prepare the food for medicines and food around the campfires. When the women get up off the ground the U shape left in the sand is where they were sitting.
These paintings are called “Apii Warukara” which means “Songlines” in the Kalkadoon language. Songlines or Dreaming tracks have been a part of Kalkadoon tradition for over 60,000 years with a person able to navigate many miles across the lands by continually singing a sacred song and following the tracks of creator beings that walked and flew during the dreamtime. From the beginning of time the Kalkadoon people have sung their sacred songs to the land to keep it alive and well, let all who read this story know that Kalkadoon history and culture is timeless and as old as time itself.
J SONGLINES
Painted by Jesse Sutton
P CEREMONIAL HUTS
This painting is called “Ngathunu” which means “Ceremonial Huts” in the Kalkadoon language. This painting is our interpretation of the many ceremonial huts that were scattered throughout Kalkadoon country. The kalkadoon people would firstly tie sticks together with kangaroo sinew, hair or grasses to form the dome structure and then tie bark and leaves to the outside of the wooden structure with vines and grasses.The huts were used for special ceremonies throughout the year with the ceremonies being an important part of the young Kalkadoon children’s education, learning about their culture and Lore with some ceremonies being a rite of passage as they grew up into teenagers and adults, some ceremonies were for men’s business and some were for women’s business.
Painted By Jesse Sutton
This is my interpretation of “Yuan Thirrin” which means in the Kalkadoon language “Big Fin”. The Kalkadoon people have a strong connection to the sea as they used to travel north to the gulf country to hunt and gather food and my painting depicts the gracefulness and the beauty of the whale.
Painted By Chern’ee
SuttonO HEALING COUNTRY
This is my interpretation of “Yapatjarra Muu” which means in the Kalkadoon language “Healing Country”. For thousands and thousands of years my Kalkadoon family and ancestors have kept our land alive and well by singing and cleansing the land and waterways, by firestick farming and ceremonial corrobboree’s and only ever taking what was needed to surivive. From the dreamtime to the present in Kalkadoon country the song of Mother Nature has been heard, it is the thread that binds all things together. It can be heard as a whisper sung across the landscape, it can be heard blowing through the tree’s and it can be seen skipping invisibly across the billabongs and rivers forming little ripples.
Mother Nature is now not singing but crying for her beautiful lands and we all must hear her despair and sorrow and change our ways. In order to survive “Healing Country” is now all of our business.
Painted By Jesse Sutton
T SEVEN SISTERS
This painting tells the story of Malkanuru which means The Seven Sisters in the Kalkadoon language. Aboriginal people have looked at the stars and used them to follow their dreaming tracks or songlines for thousands of years and had a very good understanding of the motions of the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars throughout the year. Stories about the stars and constellations were passed down from generation to generation and this painting depicts the Star constellation of Malkanuru. The seven sisters who once roamed the earth and were the most beautiful creatures in all the land, they are now known today as the star constellation Pleadies.
Painted by Chern’ee Sutton
L MY COUNTRY
This painting is called “Kalkatungu Muu” in the Kalkadoon language which means “Kalkadoon Country”.
The Kalkadoon people have ruled their country around the Mount Isa area which was known to them as the emu foot province for at least the last 60,000 years and have been connected to their lands through their dreaming stories, songs and art.
Painted By Brooke Sutton
This painting is called “Nyuuyan Watjinaan” which means “Greedy Echidna” in the Kalkadoon language. Long, long ago all the animals lived as friends in one large camp in Kalkadoon country and each day they would all go out and collect bush tucker and then bring it back to camp to share with all the animals that night. This painting tells the story of why the echidna now moves so slow and has spikes on his back.
Painted By Chern’ee Sutton
