Ceramic Coolamon - The Marshes by Rainy King Art

The Design

Maliyanga Ngurra - The (Macquarie) Marshes

The ‘Marshes’ are the traditional homelands of the Ngiyampaa-Weilwan people and is a place of great cultural significance. For tens of thousands of years the area provided an abundance of natural resources to the Weilwan people. It was a place of gathering, to share and to celebrate. Evidence of the Weilwan people is still visible today.

The Marshes is one of the most important breeding sites for nesting waterbirds in Australia. More than 70 species of waterbird and over 150 other bird species inhabit the Marshes. The Marshes also provides important habitat for many species of fish, turtles, lizards, snakes, frogs, mammals and invertebrates. In 1986 the Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve was listed under the Ramsar Convention as a ‘Wetland of International Importance’ for its significance as a floodplain wetland in a semi-arid landscape.

About the Artist

Rainy (Lorraine) King is a proud Weilwan woman living on country in Coonamble NSW.  

 "In 2012, I joined our local ceramics group and instantly fell in love. My passion for creating with clay has taken over my life and I converted my rusty old tin shed into a small studio. Working with clay directly connects me to the earth, and it brings me an inner peace. I often use lots of bright colours and incorporate traditional symbols to tell the stories depicted in my artworks. My inspirations are often from the land on which I live, native flora and fauna, family connections, my personal experiences and stories from my aunties and grandmothers.

My dream for the future is to be able to encourage and support other Aboriginal women to engage in the arts as a way of connecting to culture and as an outlet for self expression and inner peace."