Garruka Arts
Tyler Stackman : Thunghutti Tribe
My artwork is a mix of traditional and contemporary Aboriginal art which varies in style, colour and medium, such as bright vibrant colours, traditional earthy tones, dots, linework, ink drawings and carvings of traditional weapons and tools used by the Thunghutti people.
I started out mainly using dots in the background of my artworks, until I learned that the Thunghutti people mostly used linework and diamond style patterns, so I decided to try my hand at that style and add my own kind of style into it by trying it first in my black and white ink drawings. I really enjoy this style of art and began to incorporate it into my paintings, alongside dots and also into my carvings, in the form of wood burning some designs into them.
I get much of my inspiration from the country around me; the plants and animals, natural landmarks, waterways, etc. Sometimes though, I�??ll just think of a design and I�??ll immediately try to bring it into reality somehow, either through painting or drawing. I always carry a sketch book with me, in case I have ideas that I want to use in future pieces of art.
I began my carvings around the age of 15. I try to recreate some of the artefacts of the old people. I carve boomerangs, spears, clubs, shields and many other wooden tools. I have also recently began carving stone axe heads and emu eggs. I feel as strongly about carving as I do about painting and drawing, and I feel that these are amazing methods of teaching others about my culture and helping to educate the younger generation.
I am a proud descendant of the Thunghutti people of Walcha, NSW. I also have blood connections to the Gomeroi people, through my grandmother. I was born and raised on my father�??s country, and my father was born and raised on his father�??s/my grandfather�??s country before me.
From a young age, I have always been interested in anything to do with artwork, particularly Aboriginal artwork. My father would often talk to me about it. He would often call out to me to come look when he saw anything to do with Aboriginal art on TV, or whilst reading his newspaper, and anytime that he saw something that remotely resembled Aboriginal artwork. He would also talk to me about his people; the Thunghutti tribe. He described our country, our waterways and the artefacts made by the Thunghutti people; from shields to spears, to boomerangs and axes, and so on. I can hardly remember a time that I wasn�??t involved in Aboriginal art and my culture in some way.
