Daphne de Jersey

Mother of seven and grandmother to eight children, Daphne is currently working as a Senior Indigenous Health Practioner with Apunipima Cape York Health Council. Daphne has always been an artistic individual, leaning more towards the tactile ceramics field as a student in secondary school and coming to find her painting ability in 2004

Partaking in the early Western Cape Artists program in Mapoon, Daphne had instant success with her first painting selling to a wealthy business owner. Inspiration comes from many places for Daphne including her own life experiences and events, coupled with her knowledge of bush food which was passed down to her from her mother, and is a signature representation in her works. Bush foods and their seasonal occurrence have great significance in traditional culture. Through countless years of observation and generation after generation of knowledge transfer, the importance of bush food is immeasurable.

Her mother’s own personal story of growing up in the mission also inspires Daphne’s paintings, as well as her grandmother, a child of the stolen generation. With vibrant colours and striking technique, Daphne’s passion and creativity is apparent in each of her contemporary paintings.