Oprah Winfrey bought one of Tio Kurun Warun’s paintings after he played the didgeridoo at her birthday party. Pierce Brosnan, the Prince of Saudi Arabia and the Vatican are among others to have also acquired his art.
Having lived at Pomona since 1988 this is the first year the Indigenous artist, a member of the Guntijamara tribe, has become involved in the Tall Trees Art Exhibition in Cooran.
Tio was always destined to follow a life in the arts. His mother was tutored by artist Clifton Pugh in Fitzroy, Melbourne, where Tio held his first exhibition at the age of eight years, and musician Archie Roach is his uncle.
An accomplished musician Tio said his paintings of places and plants from his mother’s country in Warrnambool had been exhibited across the country and internationally.
In addition to displaying his art Tio will play didgeridoo at the Tall Trees closing ceremony on Sunday morning.
This will be the fourth year Michelle Kurth has exhibited her art at Tall Trees and her third year as event secretary.
Moving from London to Couran in 2018 with her Australian husband Michelle began volunteering with Tall Trees in her first year in the country and hasn’t left.
Michelle said the exhibition was encouraging for all artists from first time exhibitors to those who had been doing it for 30 years.
A graphic artist Michelle’s medium is textiles and her craft is weaving which she does using a range of materials from traditional yarns to plastics.
Her recent work, Ignite, made from chip packets, was the winner of the Flying Arts Queensland Regional Award for Textiles 2021.
This year Cooran’s annual art extravaganza, driven for the past 11 years by Mia Hacker, will take place at 16 venues in King Street, Cooran in a collaboration between businesses, artists and the community.
After it was run as a virtual event in 2020, Mia said it was exciting to be able to connect in person with other artists and the community.
“We’re excited that people will be able to experience that,” she said.
Mia said it was important for artists to share their work and draw inspiration from each other.
The Tall Trees Art Exhibition presented by Tall Trees Art Inc is on from 29-31 October and will showcase the diverse talents of Cooran and surrounding hinterland artists.
For more information visit www.talltreesart.com
