Design and Art Australia Online

Brett Ross was born in Bairnsdale in 1975 and is a descendant of the Gunai/Kurnai and Mutthi Mutthi people in New South Wales.

Ross spent his early years in Wemba Wemba country at Deniliquin where his grandparents Laura Theresa Edwards and Neil Peter Ross (known as Rusty) raised him. Ross moved to Sydney at fourteen where he completed his schooling before deciding it was time to go home to Bairnsdale to be with his natural mother, Marilyn Stephens.

As he started learning about his culture, Ross began practicing art, eventually finding his preferred medium of drawing, though he also works with other media such as printmaking.

Brett began to draw to mend his identity and explore his Aboriginality. By 2000 he was awarded the Young Emerging Artist of the Year by Aboriginal Affairs Victoria. Working simply in ball point pen on paper to create intricate drawings, he held a sell out solo exhibition in 2001 featuring Moonahclullah memories, connections and stories. He studied units in the Diploma of Visual Arts and Graphic Design at the East Gippsland Institute of TAFE.

Ross’s drawings typically relate to his life and culture and show an artistic talent that incorporates respect for traditional themes based on solid research as well as the contemporary lives of Aboriginal people today. The East Gippsland Aboriginal Arts Corporation logo is a fine example of his work.

Writers:

East Gippsland Aboriginal Arts Corporation

Date written:

2008

Last updated:

2009