“This piece uses colours which were in the sky above Canberra during a spring sunset as I painted it. The central band of colours shows the silhouette of the mountain visible from the Students Centre against a darkening sky. This particular mountain – Black Mountain – is a place in Canberra on which many sacred sites exist. It is a place of spiritual importance, for the Ngunnawal people in this area, and as such forms the foundation for the central design of the painting.”

“The blue and white dreaming tracks lead into a central meeting place, and it is along these paths that the students travel and meet at Jabal, our Centre at ANU. From this central ground, students branch out into different areas of the University, into their places of learning. The different facilities are represented by the six smaller meeting places. These faculties are Arts, Law, Languages, Science, Fine Arts and Information Technology.”

Explanation of painting by artist Danie Mellor, distinguished Indigenous Artist and ANU Alumnus.