My Mothers Country

My Mother's Country is my tribute to my mother, Kelly Taylor, and the Country that shaped her life, identity and connection to culture.

My mother is a proud Yankunytjatjara and Kokatha woman, born in Port Augusta and raised across South Australia and the Northern Territory. Throughout her childhood she travelled with her grandmother, aunties, uncles and brothers, spending time in Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, Ernabella, Indulkana and Wantjapila. These journeys taught her to care for Country, gather traditional bush foods and learn from the stories and knowledge shared by our Elders.

As a child, she spent countless days walking Country, visiting waterholes and sacred places, and sitting around the campfire listening to stories that had been passed down through generations. Those experiences shaped the woman, artist and mother she is today.

Through this painting I honour her journey and the cultural knowledge she has shared with our family. The gathering places represent family coming together, while the flowing pathways symbolise the journeys she travelled throughout her life and the connections that continue between our family and Country. The layered dot work reflects the landscape she walked and the stories she now passes on to the next generation.

Painted in my contemporary Aboriginal style using professional-quality acrylic paints on canvas, this artwork celebrates family, heritage and the enduring connection between people and Country.

The artwork is hand signed by the artist and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity

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T’keyah Ware belongs to the Pitjantjatjara - Yankunytjatjara x Wirangu - Kokatha and Narungga tribes on her mother's and father’s side. Her great-great-grandmother is half Antikirinya and half Arrernte. T'keyah was born in Port Augusta in 2002 and spent her childhood in Ceduna (Wirangu Country), located on the west coast of South Australia.

T’keyah’s great Grandmother Millie Taylor (nee lennon, deceased) and mother Kelly Taylor are the inspiration behind all of the amazing paintings and stories that T’keyah creates. She is a talented young artist who received a Highly Commended award during the Our Young Mob exhibition.

Featured in the prominent Vogue Living, she has collaborated with various organisations, including the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Disney Australia, SA Water, Northwest Health Care, SomerSide, Recreation Beauty, the Australian Taxation Office and the SALA Festival in partnership with Foodland. T'keyah's work has also been showcased in articles from SBS NITV, ABC Eyre Peninsula, the National Indigenous Times, and Homes to Love Australia.

At the age of 15, T’keyah picked up a paintbrush for the first time and was instantly captivated by the vibrant colours and special techniques her mother taught her. She discovered a profound passion for expressing her creativity on canvas. From that moment on, art became not just a hobby but an essential part of her identity, driving her to explore various techniques and styles as she improved her skills.

Today, she continues to learn from her mother, Kelly Taylor, how to create artworks using different stories, designs, techniques, and styles and how to blend colours to create paintings that show her, her mother Kelly, and great-grandmother Millie Taylor's journey across the country hunting and gathering traditional foods to survive off the land.

Her dot artwork style features multiple colours spread across the canvas, creating an eye-catching effect that makes her paintings exquisite, culturally significant, and breathtaking.