Kempsey born Dunghutti artist Gloria Lebrocq-Butler has been hard at work the last few months trying to use her unique skill set to raise money for fire-affected locals.
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After witnessing the destructive event from afar, it inspired her to paint and help her hometown, and the act of generosity has left local Gloria "Cheeky" Rudder in awe of her first cousin.
"She saw her home was in crisis, all the videos and images of the destruction; it inspired her to paint and help," she said.
"Gloria painted seven artworks in total, all inspired by the fires, five have new owners, and the profits went to help those affected by the bushfires, the last two will be given to Jane Walsh, who will auction them off at the upcoming Macleay Bushfire Concert on March 28.
"That's what Gloria does, for the last 30 or so years she has been painting these beautiful artworks and selling them to raise money for charities and other worthy causes.
"That's why I idolize her; she is so lovely and generous, she has a golden heart."
Gloria Lebrocq-Butler has been painting since the tender age of three, and after honing her skill over the decades, her works are now highly sought after, even by her own family.
"Gloria was taken as part of the stolen generation; it took her years to find her family again, it was during this time she first started painting," Gloria Rudder said.
"I first met her at a recent family reunion; she gave a few of us paintings, and they were being admired by everyone, by the end of the night, everybody wanted one."
We have a lot of talent in this town just waiting to share it with the world....
- Gloria Rudder
The Indigenous artist takes inspiration from the environment around her, but she also uses her work to honour the family she has lost.
"Gloria's mother and her grandmother are her biggest inspirations; she has a handprint in all her work, her mother's hand print, the Lebrocq handprint," Gloria Rudder said.
"Her heritage is what inspires her to paint as well; she is very connected to the land, the animals, the environment, Gloria is very proud of her Dunghutti heritage, it's what connects her to the land.
"We have a lot of talent in this town just waiting to share it with the world; there are a lot of good people here and it's a very close-knit community."
Any locals who are interested in paintings by Gloria Lebrocq-Butler can get in touch with her via email at: ladybrocq@hotmail.com.
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