My Story

Hi, I’m Chynna Chadderton, a proud Malgana woman from Gathaagudu (Shark Bay, Western Australia) and self taught Aboriginal artist.

I’ve always had a passion for art and craft since I was a little girl. I loved to paint and draw when I was young, and that passion has only developed during my high school years and now into adulthood.

For me, painting is a form of stress relief and has also been a healing tool to help manage depression due to childhood trauma. Painting allows me to shut out the outside world and calm my mind. I paint because it is the only way I can express myself in a way that others can understand and find beautiful.

When I paint, I experience a range of emotions, from happiness to sadness, anger to calmness. This allows me to bring something unique to each canvas I work on and to express myself through symbols and colours.

My work is inspired by my emotions and the meanings I want to convey through my paintings. I strive to create pieces that can move people and elicit different emotions when they view them.

As an Aboriginal woman I believe that the more we share our culture through art, dance, songs and standing up for our rights and land, the more we can show the beauty of what it means to be a Aboriginal and hopefully allow others to understand the significance of our beautiful culture.

I incorporate dots and lines in my paintings which stem from the traditional style paintings of my people, but I like to add my own style to my work.

For me, Aboriginal art has a uniqueness that allows it to tell stories in a way that other painting styles cannot. It connects people with our culture, even if they are not of Indigenous descent through pictures, symbols and words. For me keeping my culture alive and passing on its knowledge to others is incredibly important.

My preferred medium is acrylic on canvas, where I use multiple colours to represent everything originating from the Country, while incorporating language symbols that have deep meanings and tell stories.

I am not a cultural knowledge holder and my intention in sharing my art and stories is as a way to share my own unique story with others.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me and my work. I hope my art can move you and provide a greater appreciation for Aboriginal culture and this beautiful land we are all privileged to live, work, love and play on and to call home.