Arnold Conway

My name is Arnold Conway and I am a proud Bwgcolman,
Karowa and Kalali man. My grand father is from Borroloola and Grandmother is from Cunnamulla. but were shipped to Palm Island which is where the island got the name Bwgcolman meaning many tribes, because it was a settlement island where many people were sent from all across Queensland and the Northern Territory to live.
As a young kid I moved around a lot with my mum and little brother and sister, until finally doing most of our growing up in Cairns. In Cairns my siblings and I moved from place to place in foster care. I had been to 46 different foster homes in total by the time I was only in grade 5, but there was this particular house by the time I was 11 years old that then played a huge impact on my life. They were a strict Christian family, who thought me everything on how to be a man, cook and clean.
I then gave my heart to the Lord in grade 6. I'd always enjoyed playing footy and doing art growing up throughout my schooling, because for me it was an outlet on how I
could escape reality, It was a place where I could be free from worries or stress and just listen to music and just be in the zone. From a young age I've always tried to honour God in whatever I did, whether it be on a field or when I'm emerged in creating pieces of art. I found a way to combine my culture and my love for Christ with my art by using contemporary aboriginal art mixed with Christianity. In school I loved to draw and would find myself drawing all over my school books. But now I've started to love painting because it brings me closer to my culture.
I would love to do art full time one day, play AFL professionally and travel the world and spread the gospel through my artwork with its stories and symbols.