Adjahdura Artist: Joseph (Jo Jo) Cattermole
 
 

 
Jo Jo says, “As a young fella we got told stories of our country by our elders and my paintings are about these stories and animals that live on the land and in the sea – and some of the paintings represent what we have done when we were younger – hunting and gathering seafood”.

Through his grandmother, Jo Jo also has a connection with the northern land mob, which also influences his work. He started painting landscapes at a young age with his aunty - he helped her mix paints - and taught himself how to paint.

Jo Jo lives with his partner and 5 children. He is a qualified carpenter but chooses to paint to express his culture. He says, “Painting relaxes me - I like to sit down and paint with my family and tell them stories while I’m painting”.

As a young fella he spent a few years living in Sydney with his mother. He says, “I got into trouble stealing boats on Sydney harbour and going for joy rides”.  Jo Jo was 9 years old at the time and the welfare threatened to take him away from his mother, so he came back to Point Pearce and was looked after by his mother’s sisters. “When I was in Sydney, I remember a fella in Kings Cross Park dropping dead in front of me – dead from alcohol abuse or drugs”. Most of the people Jo Jo spent time with while he was in Sydney are now either dead or in jail. “If I stayed in Sydney I’d be like them – dead or in jail. I respect my elders for what they’ve done for me - I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for them”.