Artist profi le: Troy Firebrace

Art’s HIS THERAPY

The future is bright with vivid colours for Yorta Yorta painter Troy Firebrace.

STORY: LIAM NASH PICTURE: MEGAN FISHER

Troy Firebrace was heading down the safe academic avenue, with physiotherapy as the game plan.

But it didn’t take him long to realise the work he was doing simply didn’t work for him.

Amazingly, it would take a tip from his maths teacher to make him realise his future was a blank canvas and he was responsible for his own destiny.

Something the young Yorta Yorta painter already knew deep down; he just needed a little push in the right direction to unlock his real passion.

Art.

“My maths teacher said you’re best to do something you enjoy doing, and I enjoyed art, so that was an easy subject to choose for Year 12,” Troy said.

“I stuck with that as a foundation, which ended up getting me across the line.”

It would do more than that, it would also give the aspiring artist the confi dence to take traditional indigenous art and add his own 21st-century interpretation — with healthy splashes of vibrant colour.

Yes, it was a big step away from the earthen colours that comprise the traditional palette, but his respect of his heritage always fi gures in the designs and stories of his works.

To the extent the brush has evolved into an extension of himself, allowing his creativity to fl ow effortlessly across his canvases as he captures the stories of his people.

In the brilliant colours he uses to highlight his own stories.

“One thing about Aboriginal art that had always struck me was the fact there are a lot of earthy tones — but not a lot of bright colours,” he said.

“I liked the aspect of Aboriginal art, but I wanted to see it better refl ect the times and my own style — that was when I started exploring the avenues of using vibrant colours instead of the traditional ones.”

Describing his work as contemporary Aboriginal art, Troy has identifi ed his progression as reaching a freer plane, distanced from conformity.

“My art is getting more and more into using abstract characteristics — I’m not using a lot of fi gures like I did originally,” he said.

“I am experimenting more with shapes and representations of trees and branches, using form in a way that references sound and movement.”

Troy’s connection to the country around him plays a big part in his work; in that context he retains that sense of artistic tradition.

“A lot of my concepts stem from the country,” he said.

“A symbol of where I grew up in Shepparton and around the Murray is the red gum tree.

“The tree roots come off the high bank into the water; they twist and turn and there is never really a straight path. You can’t really predict where it goes — it does its own thing.

“Another example, it is not just looking at the way the river is shaped, but also listening to how it sounds, how it moves around your body when you’re swimming, and the strength of the current.

“Regardless of whether it is a town or a city, we live in a very urbanised world — where that concrete today lies is where gum trees used to be.

“My message is to experience the country in a way that is not generic. Not just looking and feeling but also ‘being’ a part of it.”

But while that underpins Troy’s art, it doesn’t limit or define him — there are real people that influence Troy.

People who have achieved great things near and far, who break stereotypes of their own and whose motifs align with Troy’s beliefs and stylistic standpoints.

“When I was at uni I really took to Jackson Pollock and how he conveyed his emotions through his brushwork,” he said.

“I really love the concept of expressing who you are and how you feel during a period of time onto a canvas.

“That is a big thing with me and my artwork; not only expressing who I am as an individual, but also expressing my identity as an Aboriginal man.”

As well as taking inspiration from the abstract expressionist Pollock, Troy has also been enamoured with street artist Banksy — because of his mysterious origins and noble motives.

However, it is the work of compatriots making waves on our own doorstep that stokes Troy’s deepest fires.

“What inspires me the most is the indigenous art scene in Shepparton,” he said.

“Tammy Atkinson, Eric Brown, Dylan Charles; these young and emerging artists are all inspirational to me because it shows our art is still alive and well in any generation.

“Seeing them just makes me want to work harder to help inspire the next

generation. They are bringing new flavours that I have never seen before, which is amazing.”

Trusting the process and being able to witness his message have a ripple effect across the community is an opportunity he has taken — and will keep pursuing.

“I see every single one of my artworks in the studio, and then they are gone, into people’s homes. “That’s an amazing feeling to know my artwork is appreciated to the point where people are willing to hang it in their homes; that the message I am trying to send out there in the community is out there being portrayed on someone’s wall.”

For those interested in viewing works in Troy’s gallery, visit

https://www.firebracedesigns.com/

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