Country life inspires Moree artist Jo White

Ms White has always had a creative side, but decided to take art seriously a few years ago.

“I’ve always been doing something creative and people around me always remember me doing some sort of artistic activity – I’ve been reminded about that a lot more since I've pushed my art out to the public,” Ms White said.

“I’ve looked back at my old report cards and clearly that's the only thing I did well at in school. I was always drawing something. My sister reckons I'd draw in the dirt all the time around the shed.”

The decision to take her hobby seriously has paid off with exhibitions at Michael Reid Murrurundi and the Moree Gallery.

“I’m really fortunate to be supported by the galleries.

“It’s nice to have family appreciate the work, but to have people stand up and say we think this is good too and give you a chance means a lot.”

The Sons of the Soil collection, exhibited at Michael Reid, was named after the hotel in Coonamble, where Ms White was born and raised until the family moved to Crooble, near Moree.

The paintings capture farming life, from the wheat harvest to the tennis court, and Ms White’s father, one of four boys, was a big inspiration.

“My work is about them and their family and about the connection to the farm, the history of our farms,” she said.

“And it’s not just what they did on the farm, but on their days off, playing tennis and cricket.

“Tennis was a really big thing. There were courts on properties where people would get together.”

That theme has expanded with the next exhibition, A Sporting Chance, at the Moree Gallery in August.

“I pushed on from the family aspect to more about the communities and how those activities bring the community together – football, tennis and racing,” Ms White said.

“In the towns we live in that's a really important part of everybody's lives, that sense of belonging.”

The collection also features some of the North West’s most recognisable buildings.

“One of them in particular is the grandstand at Talmoi racecourse at Garah – anybody who's ever been there or driven past there would have a memory of it because it’s such a beautiful building.

“Another is the tennis club at Coonamble which goes back to my family’s memories.

“Dad's cousins and brothers love these paintings because they're getting a kick out of seeing their old black and white photos come to life.”

Ms White’s family is part of the creation, with their memories helping her bring old photos to life. 

“With all of these little paintings I'll talk to dad and he'll take me through the colours and how things should look,” she said.

“He tells me the story behind the photos.

“I’m also really fortunate to have so many creatives in our family – there’s a massive catalogue of photos that I’m using as reference material, and I really enjoy going through all of that history and researching the stories behind some of the photos.”

One of her Sons of the Soil paintings featured a self-propelled Massey Ferguson 585 header with a 15-foot front.

“Dad tells me he drove it hard until he got 585 bags off in a day before he knocked off,” she said.

“The average was about 300 bags a day.”

Sons of the Soil was Ms White’s first major collection, but she’s also entered pieces in competitions.

Ms White was a finalist in the 2017 Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, which celebrates art that reflects the spirit and diversity of the Australian outback.

She’s also showcased her work in Melbourne and Sydney, exhibiting with The Other Art Fair, which give emerging and undiscovered artists a platform to showcase their work.

“I was there with about 100 other artists, talking to buyers and collecting about my paintings,” Ms White said.

“It’s great to meet other artists and creative people.”

Ms White’s impressions of her region have been recognised as uniquely North West, even before explanation.

“I’ve taken paintings to Melbourne and Sydney and people who have no idea who I am or where I’m from could tell it was from Moree by the sky,” Ms White saud.

“I also met a women who grew up at Walgett who could see the Moree landscape in the paintings.”

And it’s not just country folk appreciating the work.

“In Sydney I sold a painting of a woolshed which is on the side of the road between Coolah and Mudgee, to a girl from Surry Hills who had no connection with the land, but just fell in love with it,” Ms White said.

“It's funny what people will connect to and I guess a lot of the paintings based on a simpler time, and people are seeing similarities in their lives and photo albums.”