YOUNG Indigenous artist Chernee Sutton did not realise how beautiful the land of the Kalkadoon people was until she walked it recently with some family members and a Kalkadoon elder.
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"I know it will influence my art in the future," Chernee, 15, said.
"When I learn how to do landscapes I would love to paint what I saw."
She said the land changed quickly from desert with only spinifex and turpentine.
"Then you go off the road a little bit and there are mountains and big rock water holes and so much life."
She visited the sacred rock of the Kalkadoon people and her older sister, who is a geologist, showed her how to look for artefacts.
Although living in Bundaberg, she lived in Mount Isa four years ago and has strong links with her cultural heritage here.
In fact, it was an art exhibition in Parliament House, to bring awareness of the Kalkadoon people, that provided the first breakthrough for the young artist.
She exhibited 17 paintings at the exhibition and ended up selling seven of them.
Chernee had to give a speech to Parliament and presented one of her paintings to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The painting, Ajaku-muru - 'All one country' - is now hanging on the Reconciliation Level of Parliament House, level five.
Parliament has commissioned her to do another painting and she has two more exhibitions booked for this year, at Childers and Gin-Gin regional art galleries.
Although still only in Year 11 at Kepnock High School, she would like to go to art school and become a full-time artist.
Chernee has a scholarship for the University of Queensland Young Achievers Program, which provides young people with a taste of university life on campus.
The university doesn't have an Indigenous art course so she's not sure if that will become her university of choice.
Chernee was 12 years old when she started painting and had never picked up a paintbrush in her life before.
She must have been born to it, because pretty soon she was encouraged by her school to enter her first Indigenous art competition and won.
"I submitted two paintings with two different panels depicting good and bad spirits," she said.
"The bad spirits were painted in reds and the good were painted in a mix of blues and greens."
She has come a long way since she started painting and has just signed a contract with a major souvenir company which will reproduce her designs on a range of crockery, tea towels and bags.
One per cent of the royalties will be held in trust for the Kalkadoon Community to enable the cultural centre to get up and running again.
Chernee's heart is with her people.
"I just want to bring awareness to the Kalkadoon people and to influence Kalkadoon art in the future," she said.
