Discovering his personal history and embracing his heritage has changed the life of this talented man, who now uses his art practice to honour his people & culture.

John has turned his life around with painting - "I have spent my life incarcerated, aimless and directionless" John admits frankly "until an Aboriginal organisation caled Link Up found me and re-connected me to my heritage and blood family".

John started painting 4 years ago " To my pleasant surprise, i was considered good at it. I also found it uplifting and life changing. Instead of creating misery and pain, all of a sudden I was able to create beauty and inspiration." " I am a Wiradjuri man, strong and proud."

John has a meticulous approach to his work and intricately layers the paint on the surface. John searches to strengthen his identity through connecting to his Wiradjuri country.

John's philosophy with his art is that " there is no such thing as mistakes - only opportunities to do things differently. Slow is best. We never know enough, and with my kind of art it pays to spend a few days going over the painting touching up - even when some would say it is finished. I aim for excellence in the small details."