Charlene Carrington / Purnululu (7C)

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 seven children, husband Wayne and her extended 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 the late 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 has been 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, her parents and many of the Senior Warmun artists. However, Charlene is taking the ochre medium into a new perspective, still with the Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) Stories of her Kitja culture.