APAC / Australian Enterprise Awards 2022 25 , Mirree Louise Bayliss, an Aboriginal artist born in Dubbo, kicked off the idea for Dreams of Creation Australia when she was only 17. Beginning her artistic career with the study of both fine and visual arts, working for large retail companies as she did so, she encountered all manner of challenges in the formative years of her career that fuelled her in reaching for further success. Nowadays, she is a celebrated indigenous artist and outspoken social activist, ‘hoping to help heal’ the hurt that she and her community have suffered over the years due to social issues such as drug use and self-harm. Born in Dubbo in the Wiradjuri County, Mirree Louise Bayliss is the owner of the small business, Dreams of Creation Australia. Fundamentally, this solo artist’s career was inspired during her youth, as she started looking into new ways to heal the social issues brought on by increased strife in her community; especially for those like her family who found themselves Best Contemporary Artist 2022: Mirree Bayliss in Dubbo after the Paka-Tank Reserve was hit by severe flooding and droughts. Many people – herself and her peers included – found themselves slipping into unhealthy lifestyle choices, and Mirree saw people close to her pulled in by the abuse of illicit or mind-altering substances, or suffering from suicidal ideation. Thus, she dedicated herself to becoming a positive public role model for her community. Working hard to forge an indepth connection to her Father’s country and creating art with natural materials that came directly from the land, she mixed her own colours, enabling her to have a connection to the country that allowed her to heal from a tumultuous teenage experience and grow into a well-rounded adult. With these new influences, and empowered by hope, passion, and a love of life, she reconciles her enthusiasm for colourful, contemporary Aboriginal art with a determination to live more consciously, her every move dedicated to positive change in her community and amongst her peers. Nominally, so much of this comes from nature. She paints scenes of Australian wildlife as a part of Dreams of Creation Australia, using bright colours and freeflowing lines to show a deep empathy between the land and those who live upon it, forever driven to the new and the beautiful in order to keep her artwork contemporary for a modern world. Always looking forward to learning new ways to express herself, she draws inspiration from the past that shaped her in order to explore how she can heal it as she moves forward, inviting the viewer to take the same approach; to not ignore or repress their past selves, but to embrace them, and internalise the lessons that they can teach you. Now selling prints of her work, colouring books, homewares, original canvas, and greeting cards through her website, she hopes that with worldwide shipping, she can reach out to as many people who need to hear her message as possible. Company: Dreams of Creation Australia Contact: Mirree Bayliss Website: dreamsofcreation.com Feb22345
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