Charlene Carrington / Kangaroo Tail

Stunning minimal work by Charlene using garliwan (tree resin) to bind the ochres, giving the work a rich texture and subtle sheen.

Charlene is definitely one of the most talented, exciting young artists in Australia. Born in Perth in 1977, she grew up at Warmun Community, Turkey Creek, Western Australia. She has established herself as a strong woman, an enthusiastic painter with an enquiring mind and the ability to fulfil her highest aspirations. Charlene is an established International Australian Artist.

She is ambitious, determined to succeed in the Art World, yet retaining a deep love of her extended family and always her six children and her family are uppermost in Charlene’s life. Quick to laugh, generous of herself, a popular loving and much loved lady.

Charlene started painting at an early age – the second child of Churchill Cann and Sade Carrington, both International Artists, her earlier paintings reflected the flowing lines and meticulous method of her mother. She was known to comment when young that she just didn’t feel “right” when trying her father’s style, but it is now very apparent that many of her paintings are leaning towards Churchill’s swirling strokes and incredible ochre blending.

Texas Downs has produced some wonderful painters, and although the subject matter of Charlene’s art is wide and varied, she admits to enjoying most of all the camping trips with her family to their home country Texas, and the paintings she completes of that land, with the Dreaming stories which her “kangayi” (grandmother) Betty Carrington, her Uncle Hector Jandany (dcsd.) and her other relatives have taught her.

Undoubtedly her art will be influenced by the artists she has learnt from and painted with, the best – Queenie McKenzie, Jack Britten who taught both Sade and then Charlene, her grandfathers Beerbee Mungnari and Uncle Hector Jandany, Rover Thomas, George Mung Mung and many of the Senior Warmun artists. However, Charlene is taking the ochre medium into a totally new perspective, still with the Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) Stories of her Kitja culture.

Awards

1999

• Special Commendation, East Kimberley Art Awards, WA

2002

• Selected as the representative for the ABC’s “Loud” Youth Arts Festival

Solo Exhibitions

2006

• Ngarrgooroon Country , Hector Janday and Charlene Carrington, Raft Artspace, Darwin

2004

• Charlene Carrington Solo Show, Span Galleries, Melbourne in conjunction with Seva Frangos

2002

• Kintolai Gallery in conjunction with the Adelaide International Festival of Arts, Adelaide, SA

Selected Group Exhibitions

1994

• Maintaining Family Tradition, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide

1995

• Kids of Warmun, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide

1999

• East Kimberley Art Awards, Kununurra

• Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne

• Hogarth Galleries, Sydney

• Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin

2000

• Bett Gallery, Hobart

• Hogarth Galleries, Sydney

2001

• Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane

• Ochre Show, Short Street Gallery, Broome

• Short on Size, Short Street Gallery, Broome

2002

• Recent Works from Warmun, Framed Gallery, Darwin

• Thornquest Gallery, Southport

• Warmun Group Show, Bett Gallery, Hobart

• Garmerrun: All Our Country, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide

2003

• East Kimberley Show, Short Street Gallery, Broome

• Ngarrgoorroon, Yiyili and Yarrunga – Four Artists from Warmun, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney

• Six Warmun Women Painting Country, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs

• Waterhole, Raft Artspace, Sydney

2004

• Body of Art, Raft Artspace, Darwin

• Die inneren und die äußeren Dinge. Bamberg, Germany (in cooperation with Aboriginal Art Gallery Bähr, Speyer)

• Women’s Figurative Show Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA

• The Next Generation: Balgo And Warmun Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic

2005

• 20th Telstra Aboriginal & Torres Straight Islander National Art Award, Darwin

• Warmun Women, Alcaston Gallery, Fitzroy

• Gija – Across The Border, Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT

2006

• Women from Texas Downs, Gadfly Gallery, Dalkeith, Perth, WA

• Warmun Art Centre Presents, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW

2007

• Back To The Board, Coo-ee Gallery, Sydney

• All Around Texas, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle

Selected Collections

• Artbank, Sydney

• Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide

• Art Gallery of Western Australia

• Federal Court Collection, Adelaide

• District Court of Western Australia Collection

Bibliographies

• 2003 Artwork featured on the cover of text ”Their Stories, Our History”, Melbourne, VIC

The use of garliwan (natural tree resin) over ochre was a technique taught to Charlene by the late Rover Thomas when she was a young girl. Although the design is strong and minimal, the execution of an artwork using garliwan is complex, starting with the collection of the resin from certain trees at certain times of the year, to coming up with a combination of resin that can be applied like paint but won’t crack. Charlene has mastered this technique over the years and the result is nothing short of stunning, the effect is like a beautiful piece of mahogany furniture.

The subject of the painting is one of the designs painted by the Senior Kitja men on the Kurrirr Kurrirr (dancing) headboards for Rover Thomas’ corroboree. Charlene was given permission by Rover to paint this and his other designs whilst she worked at the Care Hostel in Warmun prior to Rover’s passing. During this time, she was privy to many of the techniques of the Master Painter who obviously could see the talent of the young girl.