Bundjalung and Gaangalu artist Amarina Williams loves painting landscape topography onto old vinyl records.

Her unique artworks reflect her Indigenous heritage and are proudly on display in her new ‘Amarina Art’ gallery in the Star Court Arcade.

The 27-year-old artist has been painting her whole life and said her mum has photos of her painting before she could even walk.

So, it’s not surprising that she has followed her passion to open a gallery and studio dedicated to displaying and selling the works of local Bundjalung artists.

“I really wanted to open a studio space and I love the energy of the Star Court Arcade with the theatre and the café,” Amarina said.

“There’s was no dedicated Indigenous gallery in Lismore – and this is the hub of the Northern Rivers, so I wanted to create that space.”

Amarina started painting on old vinyl records when she was younger and was “too broke” to buy canvases.

“I would go to op shops and garage sales and pick up whole boxes of vinyl cheaply,” Amarina said. “I love the shape of the records.”

She has no plans to start painting on CDs, because she prefers vinyl records, which are much are bigger and sturdier.

History

Amarina grew up in Tenterfield and has lived in Lismore a few times – recently returning here to live.

She said following her Indigenous heritage has always been important to her.

“I am a Williams, and my mum is from the western Bundjalung area, on the border of Githabul and Bundjalung Country,” she said. “My dad is Gaangalu from Rockhampton.

“I grew up with stories of growing up on Country and my art is about painting the topography – the contours and the lay of the land from an ariel view.

“It’s always fascinated me – how country and rivers changed over the years.

“We still have a piece of land that’s been in the family for three generations and the river topography there has changed three times over the years.”

“I grew up doing orienteering and I’ve been map reading my whole life. I often walk around the land and see how it's laid out before I start painting it.”

Amarina recently painted a mural in the entranceway of the women’s section at Lismore Base Hospital.

“I went through the old maps before I designed it,” she said. “A lot of them are online and I look at the soil contents which influences the colours I use.

“If an area is rich in iron – I will use red and orange tones.”

In the new gallery, Amarina already has on display the art of seven Bundjalung artists - including Peter Faulkner-Roberts.

“I come from a business management background and I have the skill set to support local Indigenous artists to help them market and sell their work,” she said.

She invites people to come in, have a look and perhaps buy some art.

She also plans to run small workshops once a month on Saturdays, featuring a different artist each month sharing skills in telling stories through art and pigment making with ochres.

Amarina Art Gallery and studio is located at shop 9 in the Star Court Arcade. The opening hours are Tuesday 10am to 4pm, Wednesday & Thursday 11am to 5pm, Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm.

To contact Amarina, you can email [email protected] or find her on Instagram.