Jay is a Peek Wurrung man of the Gunditjmara Peoples. Born in Warrnambool, he grew up at Framlingham in Western Victoria.
Though having spent most of his life in institutions, he began his interest in art at the age of eleven or twelve, watching ‘family members as a child doing arts, making weapons etc.’.
‘I really enjoy painting a lot of different things,’ he says. ‘And really haven’t pinned myself down with “that’s my style”’.
Painting keeps Jay connected to his mob, no matter how far aways he is. ‘It helped me get through some of the hardest times in my life being incarcerated,’ he states. ‘It was what kept me grounded, made me think that I still have hope and that I’m strong; as all of our people are.’
Jay’s plan is to ‘concentrate on trying to get somewhere in life’, his art playing a pivotal role in his future. ‘I hope that people enjoy my art when they see it…I think that seeing my finished work and having people say “that’s good” helps me continue to get better’.