Mandy Draper (Deadly Dot Pots)

Heal Our Nura

This painting is my interpretation of everyone coming together to stand up and support one another to heal and protect our land; our Country. The large circle represents our country as one, with our land and our sea. The footprints are our Aboriginal ancestors who walked this land before us. The symbols surrounding our country are our people, standing together to protect our country, our land, our sea, our culture, and our ancestor’s stories, our traditions, and our sacred sites. The lines behind our people represent our future, all people coming together and joining us mob to protect and heal our Country.

Rise Together

This painting represents First Nations People, in our communities throughout our Country standing together and rising for change. A change we continue to stand for, a change for our Elders, our communities, our Country and our culture, for better outcomes for our mob. We must rise together! - Mandy Draper

A Womans Connection

This artwork represents strong resilient women as Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunties, Carers and the connection that is shared to the children that they love and care for.

The lines and waves represent the flowing love towards one another, the continuous journey that a women experiences for their children.

The inspiration for this painting is the continuous love and strength I have for my two children. - Mandy Draper

Igniting our Journey

NAIDOC Week 2024

This artwork represents our mob continuing to stay connected. Connecting to each other, connecting to our country, our culture and our traditions. The footprints in the artwork represent our ancestors that have paved they way for our future, and for us mob to now continue to pave our journey for our future generation, and to empower one another to stand strong on this journey. The fire surrounding our country, our footprints, and our gathering circles symbolise our strength to ignite our pride and our spirit to continue to stay connected on our journey.

Muru to Our Biriwal (Pathway to Our Future)

This artwork represents our significant history, our ancestors' journeys, and our Muru (pathway) to our Biriwal (future) with our next generation.

The large gathering circle at the base of the artwork represents our old people and our ancestors with their footprints that represent the journey of growth that have been paved for our next generation.

The top gathering circle represents our young leaders and the journey carrying forward our cultural knowledge and continuation of care for our country and our community.

The lines and gathering circles represent our community connection and our continuing vision and strength as one.

The emu and kangaroo footprints represent our future moving forward enduring progress and growth.

The gathering circles represent our guided strength from our Elders in our community, empowering our next generation of future leaders to build our legacy, honouring our resilience and remaining grounded in our cultural pride.

The artwork represents continuing our support of our communities, fostering unity and healing pride. The colours represent honouring our past, to be in the present and creating a bright future.

Sacred Womens Way (Breast Cancer 2025)

This artwork tells a powerful story of a Sacred women’s way - a path of healing, strength, and cultural resilience passed through generations. It tells the story of women walking together in unity, supporting one another through their breast cancer journey with empowerment, resilience and deep connection to their identity.

At the heart of the piece are gathering circles, symbolising women’s business: sacred spaces where stories are shared, knowledge is passed down, and strength is nurtured across generations. These circles represent connection, culture, and care—where our women support one another through all stages of life, including their health journeys.

The footprints woven throughout the piece reflect the paths walked by many of our women on their breast cancer journey. They honour the resilience, courage, and strength of those who have walked before, and those still walking today.

Flowing lines within the artwork represent our holistic view of health, grounded in culture, guided by self-empowerment. Each line reflects the strength of our women as they navigate their health journeys—physically, emotionally, spiritually, and culturally. These lines tell the story of women reclaiming their health, empowered by culture, guided by spirit, and supported by community.

Woven into the design are our sistas—supporting one another, walking side by side, lifting each other through strength, courage, resilience, and love.

This piece is a celebration of strength and resilience. It empowers our women to care for their health in ways that honour their cultural identity—for when our women are empowered, they light the path for others to follow.

Protect our Coral to Save our Reef

This painting represents the importance of us all caring for our ocean, our ecosystem and our Great Barrier Reef. The coral reef in this painting represents the importance of keeping our coral reef safe, the colours painted in the coral reef are to make a bold statement about the importance of our Great Barrier Reef. The sea creatures in this painting represent the importance of our ecosystem from our coral reef to our marine life. The symbols on the outside of the coral and ocean represent the Forever Reef coral bank. The Forever Reef project collects living coral, preserving them for the future and for long-term survival.