Yarli Creative
We are proud to continue our super special collaboration with Yarli Creative, and the incredible First Nations artist behind Yarli Creative, Madison Connors. Maddy is an artist, an advocate and a proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Gamilaroi woman.
Maddy tells the creation story of our collaboration art piece so beautifully in saying,
“In a world where there is no certainty who can we rely on?
We create a village throughout our lives and each village, through each milestone, looks vastly different.
We surround ourselves with likeminded women. We who lift us up, who have our backs, who empower us and bring out our ROAWWWW!!!
Sisters supporting sisters. Tiddas supporting tiddas. The bond cannot be broken.
Even though occasionally there might be disagreements, let’s not forget the reasons why we connect in the first place.
Life is too hard to be mad. Life is too hard to not remember the values you share are true. Tiddas for life.”
More about Maddy
"My identity is what drives me. It’s something that is within me and comes from the heart. My connection to my environmental surroundings is my blood line and vein to this country and the community which runs deep within. I come from a strong line of women and am following in their footsteps. I aim to embody their full form on this earth and strive to make my mob proud of the work that I create and achieve.
I was born and raised in Shepparton, spending the majority of my life living on my grandmother’s Country. These days, I live on Wurundjeri Country in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I live with my supportive and loving partner Andrew, my strong, creative and outgoing five-year-old son Marley, and my beautiful, quiet and happy nearly two-year old daughter, Yindi."
Make sure you follow Maddy on her Yarli Creative Instagram account, plus visit her website to shop all her amazing products featuring her own exclusive art - we know you're going to love it all.
Maddy painted her own face markings. These markings represent Bunjil and are important to her Dja Dja Wurrung culture. Dja Dja Wurrung also known as the Djaara people are the Traditional owners of lands including the watersheds of the Loddon and Avoca rivers in the Bendigo region of central Victoria, and a part of the Kulin Nations.
Bunjil is the Ancestral Wedge-tailed Eagle, the creator spirit. Bunjil created much of south-eastern Australia and the features and animals within it. He also created people, by breathing life into figures moulded from clay. In the Kulin nation in central Victoria he was regarded as one of two moiety ancestors, the other being Waa the Crow and protector spirit.
Flower crown by Shahn Stewart Yorta Yorta Winyarr (woman in Yorta Yorta Language) and Founder of Alchemyorange.
Crown is a textural head piece using predominantly Australian natives (some of the smaller leucadendrons are native to South Africa in the Protea family).
Yellow Everlasting daisies foraged from Yorta Yorta country.
Pink Blushing bride flower and pink everlasting daisies were used to bring the colour of the design through. Each element cautiously and individually wired, taped and bound together in such a way to show off different/complimentary textures.
Material selection includes grasses, banksia leaves, eucalyptus gum nuts, eucalyptus flowering gums, grevillia foliage’s, and wax flower.
