Hartigan grew up surrounded by family and strong role models, with parents and grandparents who always put family first, aunties and uncles that contributed her growth and cultural knowledge.
Those same priorities of a tight knit family have been instilled in Hartigan, she started her family tree as a young girl and has been adding to it ever since. “I love organising family reunions, I am moved to inspire my kids, nieces and nephews to keep their family close.”
Hartigan uses these bonds as inspiration, capturing family portraits in pastels. Amongst her other inspirations, she describes herself as being earthy, connected to country and all its whispers of history and life. ‘The Artshack’, Hartigan’s farm, is her happy place, “It feels like equal part luck and fate that I ended up here. The terrain, the country, the trees, the ruggedness of the land felt instantly like home.”
She loves to be immersed in the landscape, around the gum trees and native plants and lively nature. While on a walk around her property, she discovered evidence of sacred sites that is evidence Gomeroi people have travelled through and lived there for thousands of years. Hartigan says, “We all look, but we don’t see. Art has taught me to slow down and take in the little details that slip past you when life is at full pace.”
Hartigan loves working across the board with mediums, painting is her go to and getting lost in the tones and hues. She also has a talented hand for portraits, print making and weaving.
For Regional Futures, Hartigan will be working with Tamworth based Joanne Stead to develop a creative response to the conversations across their community that explore the variable understandings of sustainability and the implications that arise from the lack of a common language.
