My name is Joanne Isabelle,
I am a proud Gamilaraay, Yuwaalaraay and Yuin Yinarr (woman) living in NSW.

My culture is the basis of who I am, and I express that through my art and creative process;
from my heart to yours.

Balabalaa in Gamilaraay is butterfly and is the totem given to me and representative of my own personal journey of hardships and I’m sure of many others. It is about going through everything and anything that disturbed your inner peace, but in the end making you a stronger, beautiful, and resilient person. I know so many people will resonate with this, and when I started doing art it was a significant time in my life where everything had shifted mentally and in my physical world. Since then there has been an ever evolving sense of who I really was; growing up I felt as if I was so lost within who I am, I just knew I needed to be creating but never in a million years thought I’d have the confidence to show people. Even now I shy away from speaking my mind on social media platforms because it gives me great anxieties, but I know deep down other people may resonate and feel connected with what I am doing here. So for that I thank you for supporting me. ❤️

I have created my motto, which I have said since first creating but never realised, that I create art from my heart, to yours; creating from your heart centre, the purity and transformative energy that comes from that is healing for me, and I recognise that is also healing for you.

My main medium I use is Acrylic paint on canvas, but also dabbling in a bit of everything including clay, watercolour, woodwork, and jewellery making.