Gwiyaala Arts

Bronwen Smith is the proud Walbunja owner and talented artist behind Gwiyaala Arts.

From a young age, Bronwen had a passion for art and expressed herself through drawing. “I've always drawn with pen and paper and my Aunty said to me one day, why don't you paint?” Bronwen’s Aunt inspired her to apply her artistic talents through painting and from there, Gwiyaala arts was born. The name of Bronwen’s business, Gwiyaala meaning stingray, was influenced by the coastal inspiration for her paintings. Bronwen shared, “I was inspired by my environment, animals, scenery and my family. I'm more of a contemporary artist and my story is relatable to everyone on the coast, everyone can walk around and see what inspired my paintings.” Bronwen’s saying is “let me paint your story”.

Her art is not only an expression of the coastal landscape she loves, but is also used to share stories and connection. “I'm an artist who likes to paint your story. When I do commission pieces, I invite Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to share their stories and I paint it. I have a card called family circles and each circle represents a different personality and person, but we're still all connected.”

For Bronwen, owning her own business as a Walbunja woman gives her the opportunity to utilise her talents to do what she loves while supporting her family. As a mother of four, she is grateful “to have a talent and be able to find peace and beauty in it”.