Cungelella Art made up of four sisters from Kalkatungu Country (Mount Isa, QLD) – Jaunita Doyle, Dale Bruce, Glenda McCulloch, and Cheryl Perez – are First Nations artists and proud Kalkadoon women.
2020
marks the start of our creative collaboration
4
exclusive artworks licensed and celebrated
45
unique products made for impact
Introduction
Cungelella Art was founded in 2019 by Glenda as a vehicle for sharing her culture through modern Aboriginal art. Glenda began painting while still working at her previous job, before becoming a mother. Once she transitioned to motherhood, she found herself with more time at home, and this is when she rediscovered her creative side.
Cungelella Art soon expanded as a collaboration to include Glenda’s sisters – Jaunita, Dale, and Cheryl. As the demand for their art increased, the opportunity for business expansion arose. The sisters were able to create a venture that allowed them to work closely together and spend quality time as a family, creating a legacy through their artwork.
Through their art, they share the stories of their Kalkatungu homelands, using vibrant colours, rich textures, and the deep history of their heritage. Their collective, Cungelella Art, captures the essence of Kalkadoon country with earthy tones of greens, browns, soft oranges, and pinks, inspired by the land. Growing up surrounded by artists in their family, they learned traditional carving and painting techniques. Today, they combine this knowledge with a contemporary take on Aboriginal art, reflecting the rugged landscapes, native flora, and the beautiful colours of their homeland.
"We draw inspiration from the ancient rock faces, red dirt, and spinifex-covered hills of the country."
Cungelella Kids ✨
The sisters are teaching their children the art of painting, passing down their knowledge and traditions to the next generation. The Cungelella Kids are regularly creating new artworks, symbolising a new generation of strong, resilient children growing up with culture and creativity while adding their own unique voices.
Work with Cungelella Art
Custom art commissions are available. Collaborating with you to conceive a unique composition, size and colour palette, Cungelella Art is dedicated to creating an artwork that resonates with your business or cause.
For more information contact Life Apparel and we will get you in touch with Cungelella Art.
Story: Marking 50 years of NAIDOC Week, the 2025 theme celebrates past achievements while looking ahead to a future shaped by young leaders, empowered communities, and the enduring wisdom of ancestral knowledge.
This artwork symbolises the rise of a new generation of resilient and strong children, with a Spinifex circle representing the homelands where it was created and a journey line signifying the children’s life paths.
Kalkatungu
Kalkatungu
Medium: Acrylic On Canvas Year: 2020
Story: We paint our traditional homelands, Kalkatungu country, with a heavy focus on the landscape because it is very special to us. This country is where our father and mother call home. We were raised here, and it’s also where we are raising our children. This country is very rough and rugged, the heat twisting and folding back on itself, and the ochres being pushed up from the depths. Gold, silver, and the many other minerals in the earth give us the most unique mineral belt in the world. The peach-filled skies, together with the blues, pinks, and purples, paint us the renowned Kalkadoon sunsets. Spinifex covers the hillsides, and the ghost gums flourish among the intensely red dirt where our Kalkadoon Warriors quarried famous green stone axes.
We draw inspiration from these connections and vivid memories. We use traditional shapes and symbols, along with an unrestricted palette, to create a modern interpretation of our traditional culture.
Protect Country
Protect Country
Medium: Acrylic On Canvas Year: 2022
Story: We paint our traditional homelands, Kalkatungu country, with a heavy focus on the landscape because it is very special to us. We draw inspiration from these connections and vivid memories. We use traditional shapes and symbols, along with an unrestricted palette, to create a modern interpretation of our traditional culture.
Country is our connection to our home, our family, and our stories. This is why we must protect it. The land provides us with everything we need: our traditional food, medicine, and shelter. It's our connection to our people, grounding and centring us when we feel lost. The land and the people are one; without the land, we are nothing. It's our home; it's who we are.
Equality
Equality
Medium: Acrylic On Canvas Year: 2020
Story: We paint our traditional homelands, Kalkatungu country, with a heavy focus on the landscape because it is very special to us. We draw inspiration from these connections and vivid memories. We use traditional shapes and symbols, along with an unrestricted palette, to create a modern interpretation of our traditional culture.
This artwork depicts a journey line and human walking tracks, representing the journey through life as young people. The figures in the centre of the artwork represent children gathered together, surrounded by the elders in our community. We rely on them to guide and support us in the fight for equality.
Life Apparel is an approved signatory of the Indigenous Art Code. This ensures ethical trading, integrity, transparency, and accountability in dealings with First Nations Artists. The code empowers artists, supporting them in achieving fair and transparent commercial opportunities for their art.
We are strong champions of ethical practices in the industry and see the voluntary Code of Conduct as a pivotal means to achieve this, reinforcing our commitment to fostering a culture of respect and fairness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists.
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Acknowledgement Of Country
Life Apparel celebrates and acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging for their generosity and custodianship of Country throughout Australia.
We recognise and honour the ongoing connection and deep spiritual relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to this Country, and acknowledge the unique role they play in caring for and protecting it for future generations. As an Australian-led boutique label and proud allies, we demonstrate our respect for First Nations peoples through our commitments to environmentally sustainable and ethical business practices. We recognise their continuing connection to land and waters, and thank them for protecting our natural resources and ecosystems.
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