Gulf Sunset - By Kelly Barclay

When selectability took responsibility for three Lower Gulf residential aged care facilities in September 2023, the team was committed to tackling the unique challenges that come with delivering high-quality services in remote areas

Having reliable transport to support community access was a top priority so selectability invested in a fleet of four-wheel drives

Seeing this as an opportunity to promote the vibrant spirit of Doomadgee and Normanton, we teamed up with local artist Kelly Barclay, and transformed one of her personal pieces into a stunning artwork showcased on the sides of the vehicles.

The picture, titled “Gulf Sunset” depicts the sun of the Lower Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia.

“The deep yellow ochre is bright and fearsome and there’s no place her reach cannot touch,” said Kelly.

“Looking over the sea you can see the bushfire on the horizon and a Barramundi jumps free of the water while it hunts.

“You will also find the samphire plant along the edges of the coastline before you reach the large salt flats all around.

“The salt flats absorb the heat of the sun that burns, cracks and shapes the mud when the tide goes out.”

Kelly generously donated this artwork to selectability for use, requesting funding to go towards art supplies for the older people at Ngooderi House instead.

About the artist – Kelly Barclay

I was raised in Doomadgee, North West Qld, as Kelly Barclay after being taken there by my first mum Natalie Barclay.

I was then looked after by Waanyi, Garrawa and Gangalidda families, the Ned, Aplin, Barclay families. Old mum Iris and old pa Christmas Ned their daughter and son-in-law, my mum and Dad Elma and Russell (Mookie) Aplin.

However my story starts in the Northern Territory, I was born in Darwin as Kelly Baker to an Aboriginal woman Mary-Anne Baker and white father, David Patterson.

I’ve never met either of them, my mother has since died and I am yet to meet my father. I was never aware of this fact until I was 15yrs old, when I was contacted by a family friend from Mataranka NT and invited to my mother’s funeral.

It wasn’t until I was 24 yrs old before my aunty and two uncles tracked me down in Doomadgee and I was able to visit them.

A year later I found out I had one other sibling, my big brother Edward Baker, he found me in 2005 through our Baker family and I travelled to Alice Springs to meet him for the first time that same year.

I am so grateful that I did, because part of me is now gone because he died in 2019.

My art

I started with lead pencil sketching in primary school, drawing things from nature,

animals and plants.

At boarding school, I tried painting at the suggestion of my art teacher, I painted my first painting at 15 years old.

I experimented with Realism, painting animals, then Aboriginal designs and found a skill that I would continue to develop over my lifetime.

I choose only to paint using traditional colours and as an artist, this is certainly a constant throughout my Aboriginal artwork.

The inspiration for my art is all around me, I go fishing, camping, my family goes hunting, we have seasonal changes, the animal habits, all of this is what I paint about. It has always been about the country where I grew up.

One day I might be able to build that connection with my biological family’s country in the NT where my blood is from, but I will cross that bridge when I get there.

As I grew, I carried a lot of my reservations with me, I carried my anger with me, I carried my hurt with me, only time has made things bearable, Time and my Art. Art is my refuge. I don’t

do it all the time, but when I do it wipes my consciousness of everything except what I can create.

The intricacy of my work is only matched by the confusion and the overwhelming storyline that has been my life.

Trying to paint my pain and what that would even look like is still a part of my growth and I will forever be learning from it.

Channelling that into a visual representation is something I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of and I am excited to see where my gift leads me.

I now have a family of my own and know that whatever I do will impact them and their families

for generations to come, so I need to make sure I pass on learnings that will give them strength

to navigate through life and to be strong in whoever they become.

I also quietly hope one of them will take after me with respecting and loving art the way I do.

selectability thanks Kelly for allowing us to use this artwork for our vehicles, supporting us to deliver tailored, high-quality care to older persons in the Lower Gulf.