Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National
By Kelly Butterworth

'Pretty wild': Outback Indigenous artist amazed by Nashville star's 'little show of support'

Australian actress Clare Bowen, best known for her role in Nashville, posted these photos to her Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Fans of country music or television dramas will likely know US series Nashville, which stars Australian actress Clare Bowen.

On Thursday the actress, who is a staunch supporter of small businesses in Australia and in particular Indigenous designers, posted about a new jacket by Deadly Denim which sports the design of Mount Isa Indigenous artist, Glenda McCulloch, who sells her paintings under Cungelella Art.

Ms McCulloch said seeing her design supported and shared by the actress was "amazing".

"It's pretty wild," Ms McCulloch said.

"I did a collaboration with a lady in Perth in Western Australia, she found me on Instagram and asked if I wanted to give her some artwork because she upcycles denim jackets."

Ms McCulloch said she was thrilled at the opportunity and immediately began working with the brand.

Booming business

Ms McCulloch said her jacket designs have sold out a few times, and she was "pretty excited" when she found out Clare Bowen had requested one of her designs.

"It's ridiculous. I don't know, it's just mad — I didn't think 12 months ago at all that it would go this crazy," she said.

"I started the [social media] page thinking I'd sell a few paintings, but it's been great."

As a fan of Nashville, Ms McCulloch said when she heard the news, she called her husband immediately.

"I was like 'You know the show we've been watching? One of the girls off there has bought one of the jackets'," she said.

"He was pretty excited."

Fashion for everyone

While originally selling predominantly canvas art, Ms McCulloch said she has moved into collaborations with fashion designers to get her artwork out to the public.

"I'd love to get into fashion — I love painting absolutely, but I want to get into the fashion industry with Aboriginal stuff, that's definitely one of my goals," she said.

When designing and selling fashion, Ms McCulloch said the art was "for everyone" to wear.

"It's absolutely for everybody, I feel like if you see anyone wearing it, it's like their little show of support for blackfellas, I love it," she said.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.