Julie Dowling Sister girl - Carol Dowling

Carol Oates (nee Dowling) is the artist’s identical twin sister. Their dog is called Daisy. Daisy and Carol are inseparable except when Carol is at university, but Daisy has terminal bone cancer.

‘Our “camp dog” Daisy is getting sicker every week and I wanted to paint her in the arms of my twin sister before she goes away,’ says Julie Dowling. ‘Carol is the “strong” twin. I see myself reflected through her face. I wanted to somehow show my twin that I understand her pain and that we’ll share the sadness together. It’s also a painting of celebration. We’ve all survived such a long time together already and we’ll survive this too.’

For Dowling and her family, a camp dog represents community strength. ‘Our family have had dogs for hunting and protection for countless generations,’ says Dowling. ‘Our dogs are like sisters and brothers and when they get old and die, it is “sorry time” for us. Many were shot by police and farmers because our dogs represented our sustainability without the Wudjula (white) laws and encroachments.’

Oates is a Badimaya/Yamatji woman. She is the first person to be trained as a radio producer/announcer with the Western Australian Aboriginal Media Association. She is a lecturer at Kurongkurl Katitjin, School of Indigenous Australian Studies at Edith Cowan University and is completing a masters degree at Curtin University. She produces a weekly radio show, writes online curriculum for Indigenous students and writes about her twin sister Julie. In the future, she aims to work for the United Nations to represent her people.

Julie Dowling is an artist, political activist and writer. She did a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Curtin University and an Associate Diploma in Visual Arts Management at Perth Metropolitan TAFE. She has taught Aboriginal culture, language and art to numerous primary, secondary and tertiary students, has organised community-based arts projects and taught in correctional services. With this portrait, she became the first Aboriginal woman known to have had a work selected for the Archibald exhibition.