Noongar artist Jy Bennell with his work he painted for Headspace. Photo: Jy Bennell.
When Noongar artist Jy Bennell picks up his paint brush, he transforms blank canvases into rich storylines, bursting with colours and symbolism.
As a young child, the 18-year-old lad from Hopetoun taught himself to draw and since 2020 he has been creating dot paintings to share his Aboriginal culture.
“It gives me information about what the culture was like and lets me express my culture a bit and I feel connected in a way,” Bennell said.
“Like spiritually connected — the art makes me feel close to culture and family and the stories that used to be told throughout.”
The former Esperance Senior High School student was commissioned to create a piece for Headspace last year and said one of his works had been shown at an exhibition in Kalgoorlie.
His said painting had become more of a hobby because he was focussed on his apprenticeship but he said he would love to expand his clientele and design more works.
“Everyone has their own story,” he said.
“Usually I talk to a client and gather up a few stories off them and what they would like on the piece, and I sort of draw up a bit of a picture of what I think the story represents and just put it on the canvas and paint it.
“There’s lots of different symbols and colours that represent all sorts of things, like its whereabouts.
“[My mates] reckon it’s wicked.”
Bennell said he came from an artistic family and when he was growing up, he often watched his dad painting.
He said the symbols and colour on the canvas were his interpretations of Country and usually took a week and a half to complete.
“It is a bit of a patience sort of thing — there’s a lot of patience that goes into it,” he said.
“The one I did last year for Headspace represented Esperance and them moving locations.
[My mates] reckon it’s wicked.
Jy Bennell.
“I used lots of blue which represented the ocean and a fair bit of green as well to represent the bushland around Esperance and also the Headspace colours.
“I have one now which shows the journey of an individual getting to a meeting place which is a pretty common story.
“I’m able to show my art through images also so I can put animals and things on the canvas and show art that way as well.”
