Claude Carter, b. 1971 is a mid generation Gooniyandi man from the East Kimberley. As a young man he was a stockman at Bohemia Downs station where he was later granted an excision of land on which to establish a home for his extended family. A traditional healer, he is deeply committed to his culture and is regarded as a leader in the community. He started painting in acrylic at Mangkaja Arts in Fitzroy Crossing and in 2009, extended his art practice to painting in ochre at Red Rock Gallery, Kununurra. The painterly concern with which he applies ochre to canvas reveals the care and respect he holds for his subjects. The graphic quality of his fluid and geometric lines, and unusual pigment blends contribute to a style uniquely his own. His ochre works are particularly strong conceptually and are intimately concerned with representations of his place - Goonboorroo a waterhole created by the Rainbow Serpent and of deep cultural significance for Gooniyandi people and Claude’s family in particular. Goonboorooru is in the limestone country of the Gooniyandi people near Fitzroy Crossing.
