Artist Profile Kelvin Cunningham
[ Kelvin Cunningham ]
Kel is a local Aboriginal artist and winner of the Maria Lock Award in Liverpool, Sydney, 1996. He has had works of art on display in Canberra, Parliament House in the Year of the Indigenous People.
A direct descendant of the Worimi people who lived in the Myall and Great Lakes area. Kelvin tells how his family used to hunt wallabies around Coomba Park. They also hunted black swans and echidnas. Camping on the islands they would fish with spears as well as fishing line, to get stingray, octopuss, mullet and other fish. Also they gathered pippies, oysters, concles, crabs and prawns all of which influence his artworks. His uncles taught him how to carve and make his own fighting weapons and hunting spears.
He also likes to make and paint didgerdoos. He would like to teach young Aboriginal kids to paint and to learn a bit of their culture.
He would like to continue to display Aboriginal Art to the rest of the world and make a name for Tobwabba and our people. He hopes to make some money along the way!