Artist Gallery - Ambrose Killian
My name is Ambrose Scott Killian, I am a proud father to Amias Angale Killian and husband. I was born in Larrakia country (Darwin) and I am currently residing in Meanjin/ Brisbane. I am of mixed ancestry, with Australian, German, British, African-American and Aboriginal blood. My Nanna, Barbara-Anne Chisholm, was born in Eastern Arrernte country and was stolen and raised north of Darwin on Melville Island before moving to Brisbane and then back to Darwin after her schooling had finished. My Grandfather, Ambrose Morgan was of Bundjalung and African- American decent and grew up around Redfern, NSW.
We were fortunate enough that Nanna found her home country from where she was taken from, to which we are now welcomed back to at any opportunity.
I have always been a day dreamer and drawer, finding myself stuck doodling and drawing from a very young age. My drive to learn more about the cultural significance of our art really began in 2010 when I created a large piece titled ‘Grey’. This piece won the Indigenous Heart Foundation Student Award and toured QLD galleries for the remainder of the year. More importantly, it opened up my passion and drive to keep painting and learning about our art and culture.
I enjoy acrylic medium on canvas, finding myself painting pieces with a prominent foreground image/ subject, or landscape style paintings. I am severely colour-blind, so choosing the right colour pallet is always a challenge, but very rewarding when I get it right.
I am encapsulated by our beautiful environment, the night sky and landscapes so find myself painting and creating pieces with silhouettes of people and our animals looking over some of these landscapes.
We did not have books, giant relics and buildings to teach our culture and lore, so I feel it is my duty to teach and expose people to our culture through my artwork and story telling.
contact details
email: ambrose@ngalinayeye.com
mobile: 0401312939
Dreamer, 2021
Country on Canvas 2.0 Exclusive Collection
Acrylic on canvas
This large-scale feature piece gives the viewer an insight into the beautiful night sky of the desert landscape and the stories shared underneath the stars and cold desert nights. The size of this piece intends to create a sense of scale of the magnitude of this universe and how small we really are – a feeling often considered when standing under a clear night sky.
First Nations people are the world’s oldest astronomers, with ancient stories and lore being derived by the patterns, shapes and colours of the night sky. The positioning of certain constellations through the year would tell the hunters when it was time to hunt for emu egg when the male emu was brooding, or when it was time for boys to go on ‘walkabout’ and become a man.
Whilst we may associate night time with sleep, the darkness often turns the bush alive, with dingos scavenging, owls hunting and people dancing and singing around the fire, spinning yarns and stories, playing yidaki (didgeridoo) and teaching the stories of our ancestors to our young people. This is how thousands of years of knowledge has been passed down and I am grateful I am able to learn and practise my culture today.
Dreamer 2
This feature piece gives the viewer an insight into the beautiful night skies of the desert landscape and the stories shared underneath the stars and cold desert nights in a slightly different perspective to Dreamer. The piece naturally guides your eyes from the bottom, with the 2 people dancing and playing yidaki and then by following the smoke of the fire upwards into the beautiful night sky.
Apmere
This piece was inspired by a bird’s eye image of Ambrose’s family’s country on his Nanna’s side – Santa Teresa or in Eastern Arrernte language, Ltyentye Apurte. The complex painting takes your eyes through an array of patterns and dots, which depict an abstract and alternate viewpoint of this particular desert country. The colours used represent the desert, with specs of earthy yellow, browns, deep blues and greens. The blues represent the hidden waterholes, known traditionally by Ambrose’s ancestors prior to colonisation. The series of circles on the bottom middle-right of canvas represent the exact location of the small community and mission of Santa Teresa. This is the location of where Ambrose’s Nanna, Barbara Anne Chisholm was stolen from her mother and family, and taken up to Melville Island.
Land & Sky, 2021
Acrylic on canvas
Country on Canvas 2.0 Exclusive Collection
Perspective 1 & 2
(Birds eye view - right ) This piece reveals a desert landscape from above, with rolling dunes created with hundreds of small detailed dots to form the illusion of the dune. Underneath the dark dots, white patterns can be seen which represent the trails and pathways of the custodians of the land and the animals, with each large white group of circles representing meeting places along their journey/s
(3rd person view with silhouettes - left) The view of the desert from our point of view, as a family find their way through the landscape with a native black-breasted buzzard keeping watch over them from above. A shout out to our desert mob, living, surviving and flourishing on the driest inhabited continent on Earth using their ancestors knowledge passed down to them.
Aherre & Artwe (kangaroo & man)
This painting represents the opposite feeding patterns that these two closely existing species have. As the sun sets, the kangaroo tracks can be seen going anti-clockwise around the sun, representing their nocturnal nature. The man's footprints are following that of the sun, a representation of our diurnal nature. Ambrose has set the tone of this piece to be both soft and warm, with the use of vivid sunset colours and the infinite blend of stars in the night sky.
Arltunga, 2021
Country on Canvas 2.0 Exclusive Collection
Acrylic on canvas
This piece represents my country and history, specifically the ancient area of the desert to which my Nana’s family was displaced from prior to being put onto Santa Teresa Mission and ultimately stolen and removed from her family to Garden Point (Pirlangimpi – Melville Island, Northern Territory).
Each old colonial settlement through my country in the desert was formed around pre-existing and ancient waterholes, some of which were undetectable by the untrained eye. Prior to the gold rush through 1840’s these waterholes were as sacred as they were scarce, with mobs moving between them through the seasons and years, maintaining balance to the area for 60,000 years. The position of these waterholes was shared throughout the community and throughout neighbouring tribes when permission was granted.
In 1887 David Lindsay a South Australian explorer observed a ruby near the present day Arltunga Pub, and so settlement began. The increased volume of visitors and introduction of cattle and livestock to the area meant by the 1930’s there was close to no local freshwater for consumption, and by the time my Nana was born they moved her and her people to a small mission South of Arltunga now called Santa Teresa.
The large river like section through the middle of the piece represents the dry riverbeds around Arltunga, with the 2 large communities adjoining the river bed representing the First Nations’ mob and the other representing the communities who came with the gold rush.
The speckled flecks of gold and copper throughout the painting represent the minerals dug up around the area and the contrasting ideologies of the traditional and colonial communities through the late 1800’s – The area is beautiful and has hidden gems, so we must preserve and protect this land to which we belong and from another perspective, the area is beautiful and has hidden gems, we must dig up what we find and sell it to make a living.
Ancestors Guidance
The large silhouettes on the left and right of the painting represent our ancestors watching over us, guiding us on this journey.
The dingo, howling, singing it's beautiful song to be heard across the plains plays an important part in many song lines. The dingo is an expert at finding water in some of the harshest terrains on this desolate country we call home, and it is these song lines which are sung that help map out these important waterholes for many desert people.
The female sitting on the ground, feeling the coolness of the earth and the vibrations of the didgeridoo whilst looking up into the milkyway is completely present, appreciating her surroundings. Looking up into the stars, absorbing the important constellations and patterns which help shape our night sky, piecing together the stories told about the night sky to her by her elders, for her to pass on to her children.
The man playing the didgeridoo, breathing to life knowledge he has inherited by his elders, which has been shaped and passed down for tens of thousands of years.
Finally, the grass tree on the right, stands tall and proud. This tree is one of the slowest growing trees in the world, taking hundreds of years to reach this small height. It is very important to our people, used as a source of food, drink and building material. The seeds, ground to a powder to help make damper. The flower soaked in water to make a tea. The leaves boiled and then cooled to make a glue- like resin.
Collectively, this artwork represents the link between the earth below us, the animals, humans and flora, and the sky above us, and how we are all equal and connected to eachother, always aware of and feeling that connection to eachother. When we derail from these beliefs, our ancestors watching over us are there to guide us, to help pull us back onto the correct path.
Aweme
Ambrose’s pull towards the night sky presents a new addition to his works in Aweme. This beautiful feature piece attempts to depict the importance of learning and listening to your elders.
Both the emu and kangaroo silhouettes are shown as 1 adult and 1 youngling. The young animals are watching, learning and replicating what they are shown and taught by their elders. This ensures their survival in some of the harshest terrains and environments in the world – central desert of Australia.
From here, our eyes move towards the group of humans around the fire. The father pointing towards the Milky Way and constellations of the night sky, telling stories of The Dreaming, which have been passed down for thousands of years.
Each animal painted is shown to be connected to one another through the vine like, fawn coloured lines, wrapping their way from animal and plant and to the larger pathway and journey line along the bottom of the canvas. This is to symbolise the connection of each living flora and fauna of the country -each playing an important part in the eco system and their niche.
Migration
This bright painting depicts the movements of 2 green sea turtles. The pathway through the middle represents their journey from feeding grounds, to nesting sites as the seasons changes, and the waters get warmer.
Alexandra
This piece was painted by Ambrose for his fiancee. The painting takes your eyes from centre canvas, to the left and through the branches to the right of canvas. Alexandra is represented by the Brolga in the middle, one of the only bird species in Australia that finds a mate for life, a representation of Alex's Loyalty. The piece is bold and strong with natural, earthy colours, which best represents Alex's spirit and nature.
This painting represents a Mother’s leadership and maternal instinct and the inseparable bond of family. 4 kangaroos, each representing members of the family are shown in the foreground, with Mother on the right standing up-right scanning the horizon for any potential danger - a natural instinct to be forever protective of her mob no matter how old they get in life.
Bush Patterns
Inspired by the flora of the bush. You can see the vine like shapes formed by the leaves traveling through the canvas to help shape the wave like vertical patterns. Subtle decorated flowers spread out throughout the painting symbolise the hidden edible plants which are picked to be made into tea-like drinks or consumed to remedy pain.
This original feature piece is 107cm x 107cm and available to purchase.
Meye
This soft, pastel coloured piece was painted for a friend’s mother (meye) - Mum is represented by the sun, the giver of all life. Her children and grandchildren are represented as the brolgas in the foreground, flying towards the sun. Mother journey is symbolised by the footprints from the bottom left of the canvas, all the way aroun, until exiting at the top left. Mum’s nature is symbolised by the mountains in the foreground - strong, and immovable, yet beautiful and soft.
Akngeye (Father)
This large painting depicts a family of emu’s grazing over some plains.
The father is on the left, leading the family forwards. The mother is alert and watching for danger as she can be seen standing quite upright second from the left. In the Dreaming, Emu plays the role of a protector in the night skies. Before the Emu constellation is upright in the sky, the formation or shape between the stars is like a boomerang, its purpose, too, being defense against evil - like the Father of the family.
Lyrebird
This 41 x 81cm Lyrebird attempts to encapsulate the beautiful courtship display of a male lyrebird.
Turtle Birth
This simple painting shows a meeting/ birthing place in centre of the canvas. Your eyes natural move from the centre, to the outsides, representing the hatching and journey the baby turtles begin and embark on shortly after birth.
Sunset
A simple but beautiful painting, this painting shows a large sleepy sun, falling behind the great dividing range, West of the East coast.
Moonlight
This imagine shows a beautiful star lit sky in South East QLD. The viewers eyes are taken from the large full moon, to the right and through the stars and planets. This was one of Ambrose’s first paintings he completed during high school in 2010.
Brothers
Painted for artist Ambrose Killian's mother, this painting depicts her 3 son’s. From left to right, eldest to youngest- Ambrose- the black cockatoo, Mitchell the yellow crested cockatoo, and Blake the galah. Through the branch is a timeline of Mother's story. Meeting at certain points underneath the birds to signify courtship and birth.
“ The night sky and silhouettes of men playing the yidaki is a favourite of mine to paint. I’ve always felt a deep connection to the stars and the moon”
Blossom
A continuation of Ambrose’s bush patterns series, blossom features the use of beautiful earthy colours with shades of plum pink and copper to help the paint stand out. The growth or outwards movements of the leaves from the inside of the 2 panels represent growth and the importance of flora in the bush.
Protectors
2 goanna’s, protecting their yet to be born baby - a painting commissioned by two close friends
Southern Stars
Ambrose has a love for the night sky that has been with him since he was a little boy sitting on-top of the roof with his old man. This painting shows the Milkyway from Ambrose’s perspective, and he tries to encapsulate it’s beauty with a series of thousands of small dots.
Desert Roots
Ambrose is far away from his apmerre, but always feels close spiritually to where his people are from in the desert. This painting is a representation of knowing where you are from and acknowleding your roots.
Journey
Painted for a relative of Ambrose’s, Journey represents a young ladies journey from childhood, into adulthood. The journey lines behind the turtle represent the many pathways and experiences through ones life, with the space- like colours and feeling of the background representing the unknown of the future.
Lake Kurwongbah
The animals surrounding Lake Kurwongbah, nearby Brisbane.
Family
A mother turtle painted in the centre of the piece (Corinne on left of picture), shown to be the embodiment of the family - The giver of life and unconditional love. Her large family represented as small turtles swimming around her, each protective and loving of their mother.
Watchful
A large Powerful Owl perched on top of a tree branch, ready to take flight at the first site of prey along the forest floor. Ambrose again utlises stars and the moon, with splashes of metallic blue to shape a vivid galaxy theme to respect the unpolluted night sky of the bush.
Some close ups of Mother’s Day originals and commissioned Magpies and Brolgas!
