Laarri Art Centre

Terry was born in Derby and is the son of Matt Dawson and Flora Mudeling. Terry has 8 children, one grandson and lives in Pullout Springs. As a student, Terry went to the newly established Yiyili Aboriginal Community School. He developed an interest in art through his uncle, well-known Kimberley artist, Mervyn Street. Terry is known locally for his fine art and craftwork, and together with wife Sandra Cox (an artist), he participated in the 1997 Art Training Program at Milba Community, conducted by Noel and Jenny Butler from Jarrawich Aboriginal Art Company, Queensland. Terry painted a variety of new works during the 1999 Art Project at Yiyili, “Painting – A way of Life”, funded by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board of the Australian Council. Terry was a major contributor of paintings included in the illustrated non-fiction children’s book ‘Know Your Granny’, published by Yiyili Aboriginal Community. Terry runs Louisa Downs Station fulltime as the main stockman. He paints with only one eye, which he lost as a child. Terry uses a wide variety of mediums including oil paint, acrylic paint and ochre dug out from the local hills and crushed in the Gallery workspace by hand tools.