The Conadilly Canvas
Artist Profiles
2025 Artists
Anindya
16, Gunnedah
First Place - Brush of Hope
Describe your artwork and what message it shares.
My artworks shows a little girl standing in a middle of blank white canvas with coloured brush on her hand. In the artwork you can see the girl looks like she’s painting, this painting shows a hill with fields full of grass and flowers, added with clouds and colourful sky. And to top it all up the artwork has this golden frame surrounding the art. This represents a feeling of freedom and imagination, my artwork is showing an idea of creating your own happiness and life like the girl with the paintbrush. This is about finding your own life, hope and growth through imagination and yourself.
What inspired you to create it?
I was inspired by colours, while I was thinking of an idea the coloured pens was next to me and it gave me an inspiration. I wanted to draw a feeling of how you can create your own life by yourself even with dullness(white) surrounding you. And showing an example of it in a creative way. I also got some inspiration from others artists on the internet as well as asking my siblings about ideas to create a better art piece.
What does mental health mean to you?
To me mental health means about seeing myself and caring about my feelings. I feel like it’s about understanding our thoughts and emotions, as well as understanding our emotional wellbeing and being able to think positively and happy, also coping with problems/stress in a mindful way without much negative thoughts.
How did it feel hearing the news you were a winner of Conadilly Canvas 2025?
I feel shocked and great because honestly I didn’t expect to win and I am so grateful it. My family was happy and I too was really happy and proud of myself.
What was it like seeing your artwork become part of the mural?
It feels quite surreal as well as really special after seeing my artwork become part of the mural. It made me proud and happy to know that something I created could be shared with others and my imagination in a piece of paper is meaningful.
What was your favourite part of the project?
My favourite part of the project is being able to also paint the mural, it was such an amazing experience and I really enjoy it.
Mabel
13, Narrabri
Second Place - Just Keep Smiling
Describe your artwork and what message it shares.
Smiling can make the world a better place
What inspired you to create it?
I have my ups and lows, depression, stress and all the above. And ive noticed that when I smile even though I'm upset, it makes lots of other people smile back, and that makes me feel even better with my days. So I thought that if I draw a smiling person, that could make other people look at it and smile back.
What does mental health mean to you?
To me it means you have some problems going on inside you that may or may not be different from other people, that may need to be fixed or helped, and that there is help around you that can support you for your mental health.
How did it feel hearing the news you were a winner of Conadilly Canvas 2025?
It made me feel appreciated. Like I was seen for what I draw and how I feel putting my emotions into that art work. And I felt super happy and proud.
What was it like seeing your artwork become part of the mural?
It was like I was seen for what I draw and how I draw it. That my emotions into the art work, were being seen by.
What was your favourite part of the project?
The process of doing the project and locking in. The paint flowing over the page, my pens gliding over the paper texture. It was a dream and it was like my little bubble I could lock into.
Steven Walters (Hopwood)
16, Gunnedah
Third Place - Mental Paralysis
Describe your artwork and what message it shares.
Mental Paralysis is what covers the nitty gritty of mental health, it shows the lighter side which people mostly see, showing a glimpse of hope, holding on, while the dark side covers the darker and broader complexities of mental illness' The message the artwork puts forward is to understand that some people may be happy but deep down... we truly do not know what they may be going through.
What inspired you to create it?
My Visual Arts teacher Ms Fiona Xeros, she was an inspiration, but purely I looked towards the artworks of Joy Hester and made them my own, I also explored Frida Kahlo, in which all of these artists assisted in the creation.
What does mental health mean to you?
Mental Health has a very deep meaning to me, although I do not face any battles as such, I've observed many people opening up about their mental health and the nitty gritty parts of it. Mental. Health. Matters.
How did it feel hearing the news you were a winner of Conadilly Canvas 2025?
I was so excited, although at the time I was just stepping off the train in Luxor I was excited, it made me feel so happy that my artwork had been considered (as it was quite hard to make). And I was honestly so keen to see what it would look like when I got back home.
What was it like seeing your artwork become part of the mural?
It was honestly so cool! A re-interpretation of my original work was pretty cool, it was an interesting process as I actually got to work on my part on the mural, It was quite rewarding in all honesty!
What was your favourite part of the project?
Definitely the 'Paint by numbers' day, I truly loved working with people of many ages and assisting as much as I could before the heat of the day came alive.
2025 Mural Artist
Meet Katie Louise Bigg - Mural Artist
A Townsville‑based muralist (and proud mum), Katie has painted 40+ murals across schools, clubs, clinics and public spaces throughout North Queensland.
Her favourite projects involve young people - watching confidence bloom as ideas turn into bold colour and story.
After leaving nursing to follow her creative calling, Katie uses art to empower, connect and make room for self‑expression. She was honoured to bring Gunnedah’s youth voices to the wall for its first year in 2025.
2025 Youth Artists
Anindya
16, Gunnedah
First Place - Brush of Hope
Describe your artwork and what message it shares.
My artworks shows a little girl standing in a middle of blank white canvas with coloured brush on her hand. In the artwork you can see the girl looks like she’s painting, this painting shows a hill with fields full of grass and flowers, added with clouds and colourful sky. And to top it all up the artwork has this golden frame surrounding the art. This represents a feeling of freedom and imagination, my artwork is showing an idea of creating your own happiness and life like the girl with the paintbrush. This is about finding your own life, hope and growth through imagination and yourself.
What inspired you to create it?
I was inspired by colours, while I was thinking of an idea the coloured pens was next to me and it gave me an inspiration. I wanted to draw a feeling of how you can create your own life by yourself even with dullness(white) surrounding you. And showing an example of it in a creative way. I also got some inspiration from others artists on the internet as well as asking my siblings about ideas to create a better art piece.
What does mental health mean to you?
To me mental health means about seeing myself and caring about my feelings. I feel like it’s about understanding our thoughts and emotions, as well as understanding our emotional wellbeing and being able to think positively and happy, also coping with problems/stress in a mindful way without much negative thoughts.
How did it feel hearing the news you were a winner of Conadilly Canvas 2025?
I feel shocked and great because honestly I didn’t expect to win and I am so grateful it. My family was happy and I too was really happy and proud of myself.
What was it like seeing your artwork become part of the mural?
It feels quite surreal as well as really special after seeing my artwork become part of the mural. It made me proud and happy to know that something I created could be shared with others and my imagination in a piece of paper is meaningful.
What was your favourite part of the project?
My favourite part of the project is being able to also paint the mural, it was such an amazing experience and I really enjoy it.
Mabel
13, Narrabri
Second Place - Just Keep Smiling
Describe your artwork and what message it shares.
Smiling can make the world a better place
What inspired you to create it?
I have my ups and lows, depression, stress and all the above. And I've noticed that when I smile even though I'm upset, it makes lots of other people smile back, and that makes me feel even better with my days. So I thought that if I draw a smiling person, that could make other people look at it and smile back.
What does mental health mean to you?
To me it means you have some problems going on inside you that may or may not be different from other people, that may need to be fixed or helped, and that there is help around you that can support you for your mental health.
How did it feel hearing the news you were a winner of Conadilly Canvas 2025?
It made me feel appreciated. Like I was seen for what I draw and how I feel putting my emotions into that art work. And I felt super happy and proud.
What was it like seeing your artwork become part of the mural?
It was like I was seen for what I draw and how I draw it. That my emotions into the art work, were being seen by.
What was your favourite part of the project?
The process of doing the project and locking in. The paint flowing over the page, my pens gliding over the paper texture. It was a dream and it was like my little bubble I could lock into.
Steven Walters (Hopwood)
16, Gunnedah
Third Place - Mental Paralysis
Describe your artwork and what message it shares.
Mental Paralysis is what covers the nitty gritty of mental health, it shows the lighter side which people mostly see, showing a glimpse of hope, holding on, while the dark side covers the darker and broader complexities of mental illness' The message the artwork puts forward is to understand that some people may be happy but deep down... we truly do not know what they may be going through.
What inspired you to create it?
My Visual Arts teacher Ms Fiona Xeros, she was an inspiration, but purely I looked towards the artworks of Joy Hester and made them my own, I also explored Frida Kahlo, in which all of these artists assisted in the creation.
What does mental health mean to you?
Mental Health has a very deep meaning to me, although I do not face any battles as such, I've observed many people opening up about their mental health and the nitty gritty parts of it. Mental. Health. Matters.
How did it feel hearing the news you were a winner of Conadilly Canvas 2025?
I was so excited, although at the time I was just stepping off the train in Luxor I was excited, it made me feel so happy that my artwork had been considered (as it was quite hard to make). And I was honestly so keen to see what it would look like when I got back home.
What was it like seeing your artwork become part of the mural?
It was honestly so cool! A re-interpretation of my original work was pretty cool, it was an interesting process as I actually got to work on my part on the mural, It was quite rewarding in all honesty!
What was your favourite part of the project?
Definitely the 'Paint by numbers' day, I truly loved working with people of many ages and assisting as much as I could before the heat of the day came alive.
