Journey #7

Flick Chafer-Smith is a proud Ngarrindjeri artist from South Australia and currently based in  Naarm. She began painting in early 2017 and has primarily worked with acrylic on canvas. 

Displaying Ngarrindjeri designs such as zig zags, diamonds and linework in her artwork,  Flick reveals her connection to Country and meticulous attention to detail. Flick focuses  largely on the tessellating shapes and patterns that form the backgrounds of her art work. A  self-taught artist, she dedicates a lot of her time to the precise measuring of patterns on the  canvas before painting. Flick also finds inspiration for new patterns by observing nature and  the everyday world around her. Flick was always searching for her peace and quiet and she  found it within her art practice. Painting is a way for Flick to connect with her family even if  she is not with them. Overlayed on her backgrounds, Flick often depicts animals and native  vegetation remembered from her multiple trips across the Nullarbor as a child. The artworks  Flick creates also regularly shares memories, cultural stories and relatable themes. Flick  describes feelings of validation and pride in being able to share her culture with others. 

“It’s important to keep the yarns going and share stories because if we don’t, then it  disappears into history, lost”. Flick utilises Styrofoam to create prints of animals in her  works, but she is leaning more recently into realistic animals and experimenting with  different colour pallets

This series is called Journey, reflecting the twists, turns, setbacks, and growth in life. This particular painting draws from Flick’s experiences traveling across the west and south coast of Australia during her youth, capturing a personal and cultural path intertwined with Country.