Blooming Heritage – The Botanical Journey of Lauren Rogers

Q. How do your Ngarabul heritage and Scottish, Irish
and English roots influence your art?
A. My heritage shapes everything I create. My Ngarabul identity is at the centre of my storytelling, my sense of belonging and the way I read the land. My Scottish, Irish and English roots add another layer of history and resilience. Together they guide the colours, symbols and rhythms that appear in my work. I paint from a place of honouring all the people who walked before me and acknowledging the strength, culture and stories that
flow through my family lines.

Q. You are a self-taught artist. What inspired you to
begin painting?
A. Painting began for me as a way to reconnect with culture and express feelings that did not have words. I was drawn to the quiet focus of creating and the way a canvas can hold memory, emotion and story. Once I started, I realised painting gave me a path to share culture, beauty and connection with others. It has become a lifelong practice that continues to grow with me.

Q. How does your connection to Country shape the
stories you tell through your art?
A. Country is my teacher. It shapes the colours I choose,
the symbols I use and the way I hold space within a composition. When I paint, I think about the land, water, plants and animals that carry knowledge through generations. My work often becomes a reflection of
walking on Country, listening to stories, remembering Ancestors and acknowledging the responsibility we all share to care for the world around us.

Q. Your art often features native plants and botanical forms. What draws you to this subject?
A. Native plants feel like home to me. They remind me
of childhood, time spent outdoors and learning through observation. There is so much wisdom in the way plants adapt, regenerate and survive. I am especially drawn
to native flowers because they hold vibrant energy
and cultural meaning. Painting botanicals allows me to honour Country while celebrating beauty, colour and life.

Q. How do you combine natural forms with Aboriginal patterns and storytelling?
A. I weave patterns and symbols into the shapes of botanicals in a way that feels organic and connected. The patterns hold cultural meaning and link the subject back
to Country. Natural forms provide movement and softness. When the two come together, they create a layered story that honours tradition while expressing my own contemporary style.

Q. How do you balance honouring tradition while exploring contemporary artistic forms?
A. I begin with full respect for the knowledge and stories that have been handed down. Cultural responsibility
guides my decisions. From that foundation, I explore
colour, scale and composition in ways that feel fresh
and true to my voice. The balance comes from staying grounded in culture while remaining open to new ways
of creating and sharing stories.

Q. Which of your art forms do you enjoy most and why? Painting, public art, digital design, jewellery or textiles?
A. Painting is where my heart always returns. It feels like the most direct expression of story and emotion. Public art gives me the joy of scale and community connection, while digital design and textiles allow me to explore pattern, repetition and colour in new ways. Each form has its own energy, but painting is where I feel most at home.

Q. When running workshops in schools, how do you help students learn about Indigenous art and storytelling?
A. I begin with the importance of culture, respect and learning from Country. I teach that Indigenous art is
built on story and meaning, not just pattern. We explore symbols, ideas of connection and how to express personal stories in a genuine way. I aim to make the process playful, safe and encouraging so students feel proud of what
they create.

Q. How does working with students and communities influence your art?
A. Working with communities keeps me grounded and inspired. Children approach art with so much confidence and curiosity, which reminds me to stay playful in my own practice. Community collaborations teach me to listen deeply, to create with intention and to value shared experience. These moments strengthen my understanding of how art supports healing, identity and belonging.

Q. How did your collaboration with Erstwilder
come about?
A. Erstwilder approached me to create a collection that celebrated native botanicals and cultural storytelling. It
was a wonderful opportunity to bring my artworks into
a wearable form and share them with a wider audience.
The collaboration felt aligned because of their respect
for artists, culture and meaningful story.

Q. How do you bring your cultural stories into
wearable art?
A. I choose plants and symbols that hold cultural significance and refine the forms so they can be worn

with comfort and beauty. Each piece is designed to hold
a small part of Country and story. Wearable art becomes
a way for people to carry culture with them
in a joyful and respectful way.

Q. What has been the most meaningful moment in your artistic career so far?
A. The most meaningful moment for me has been
returning to my own Country, Ngarabul, as an artist.
Being invited to take part in the local exhibition in Deepwater was incredibly special. Meeting the community, walking on Country and reconnecting with the land my family is connected to was a powerful experience. Teaching workshops at the Emmaville and Deepwater primary schools, then presenting the students artworks in the
local exhibition as a community project, was something
I will always treasure.

I also taught a native flora painting workshop with local artists, which created a strong sense of shared learning, cultural pride and connection. Returning to Country in
this way felt like a full circle moment in my career and cultural journey.