Nyree Reynolds
Nyree (Ngari) Reynolds was born in 1948 in Wollongong, New South Wales and belongs to the Gamilaraay language group. She has a Certificate 4 in Workplace Training and Assessment trainer. Nyree is an experienced art tutor based in the Central West of NSW. Nyree facilitates art workshops for disabled adults; people with mental health issues; in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres, with Indigenous and non-Indigenous children; youth at risk as well as with the Aboriginal offenders at Bathurst and Lithgow Correctional Centres. Nyree has close ties with Cowra High School’s Breakaway program as well as the Heritage Schools Annual Art Festival. Nyree has also taught Aboriginal art at Bathurst and Orange TAFE campuses.
Nyree has had several solo exhibitions as well as exhibiting in many group exhibitions. Her work is represented in private and public collections both in Australia and overseas, which includes the Federal Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts; NSW Bureau of Statistics; Bathurst Hospital, and Manning Clark House, Canberra. Nyree’s work is also featured on ‘Baseline’, on the website of the NSW Land and Property Management Authority.
Reynolds has received awards for her work, including winning the 16th Annual Mil-Pra Award in 2008 and the 17th Annual Mil-Pra Award in 2009. She was a Finalist in the NSW Parliamentary Indigenous Art Prize in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and was a Finalist in the Drawing Together Art Award 2007 in Canberra.
Nyree’s paintings depicting the Aboriginal children of the Stolen Generations have been described accordingly: ’in these ephemeral and quite beautiful works, the figures float surreal across the vivid Australian outback. The works evoke a sense of loss and heartbreak. Nyree has shown through her work that she is a strong story teller and is able to more than capably get her message across to the viewer.’
The use of red ochre from Mudgee features strongly in the figures in Nyree’s work and the majority of her paintings contain sand from the Illawarra, which connects her with her birthplace.
The artwork below was featured in the Indigenous Law Bulletin January/February, 2012 Volume 7 Issue 28.
