Historical information

Ronald EDWARDS-PEPPER

Artist Ronald Edwards-Pepper is keen to express himself through painting and telling stories of his Gunai/Kurnai ancestors. "My nanna and her stories have been part of my life, and who I have become today, and this influences my artworks. My grand-parents are Dolly Mullet & Watson Pepper. They came from Lake Tyers Mission and moved to Morwell in the 1960s with their mob of kids. Now this is the family home."

EDUCATION:
2013-2017 - Bachelor of Visual & Media Arts/Federation University.
2010 - Trainee Mentor in Education (Latrobe Regional Gallery, Morwell)
2008 - Certificate III in Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander in Languages
2007 - Traineeships, Young Ambassador at the Latrobe Regional Gallery, Morwell
2006 - Completed & Graduated - Awarded 'Student of the Year’
2005 - Certificate IV ATSI Cultural Arts, TAFE Mid-valley Campus Gippsland
2003 - Certificate 4 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait lslander Art & Design, TAFE Mid-valley Campus, Gippsland
2002 - Certificate 3 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art & Design, TAFE Mid-valley Campus, Gippsland


This work is kindly loaned and displayed on the Federation University Gippsland campus.

Physical description

Painted triptych featuring Aboriginal shield imagery.

Artist's Statement:
"Shields are part of my people’s everyday life when Aboriginal people used to live off the land, food, water and they would use their shields in war with people in other tribes. In many of my artworks I used the Gunai markings from this area, Gippsland. They represent each one of the clans. Within the Gunai/Kurnai tribes there are five clans in this area and each one represents each clan and where they belong. It covers the Gippsland area of Victoria and in many the painted Boorun pelican is depicted because he is the father and of Gunai/Kurnai people and is a dreamtime story too. I see many designs like theirs but only on artefacts in the city art gallery, and in museums from the 1800s and earlier. I share my culture through paintings so people will be educated about the land we all walk on and will know about Aboriginal people in Gippsland through Art and culture.
Yarrabee (Good bye )