DRAW
I’ve been drawing for as long as anyone can remember - quite literally from the cradle.
Family legend has it that I wasn’t much of a sleeper. In an inspired (and slightly risky) move, my parents left crayons and pencils in my cot so that when I woke at odd or early hours, I could entertain myself. It worked. Although I quickly decided that paper was an unnecessary limitation and covered the walls above my cradle in a kaleidoscope of bold colour.
When my parents came to get me in the morning, I presented my masterpiece with enormous pride. They chose encouragement over outrage, told me how beautiful it was, and gently redirected me back to paper. I still wonder, sometimes, what might have happened to my creativity had they chosen differently.
While I studied a handful of university subjects, my real education came from growing up immersed in art. My mum and my sister, Abbie, are both extraordinary multi-media artists, and art was never something separate from daily life. Mum ran art lessons in our garage while I was growing up, and creativity was treated not as a talent to be judged, but as a language to be spoken.
At nineteen, I found myself running an art school for children, but had to pause when my muscles had a dummy spit after some car accidents. In 2014, Mum, Abbie and I formally came together to establish Studio Carragher after being invited to exhibit in a Newcastle showcase. Over time, a clear through-line emerged in our work, one we hadn’t consciously set out to define - Women and the Wild. We are very different, but united in our love for the form and what it brings.
My work has been exhibited across Australia and internationally, and now lives in private collections in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Niue, Vanuatu, Canada, and New Zealand. But more than destinations or lists, what matters to me is how the work is felt - as an invitation to reconnect with instinct, nature, lineage, and the quieter forms of strength.
If you’d like to explore more of our collective work, you can visit Studio Carragher at www.studiocarragher.com.au
