Ruby Bovill is a Painter and Art Therapist based on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people in Melbourne / Naarm . Her paintings are inspired by natural landscapes. Ruby’s work encourages quiet contemplation and reflection on connection to place. Ruby’s paintings are an abstraction of her environment and identity. Growing up in Melbourne and regularly visiting the Great Ocean Road and Murray river, Ruby’s childhood provided her with a connection to nature. Art Therapy transformed Ruby’s art making practice resulting in work that makes internal discoveries, heals and contributes to her sense of self. Ruby’s art aims to provide viewers an opportunity to connect to nature in urban environments.
Ruby graduated from a Double Bachelor of Arts and Visual Arts at Monash University in 2015. Since then Ruby completed a Masters of Art Therapy at LaTrobe University in 2018. Today, alongside her painting practice, Ruby works as an Art Therapist with victim / survivors of family violence at a Naarm / Melbourne based non-for-profit. Ruby is passionate about providing safe spaces for people to engage in creative modalities to reduce emotional distress, explore self, and recover from trauma.
Ruby acknowledges that she created these artworks on stolen Aboriginal land. She acknowledges the traditional and true owners of the land she lives and works on, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation and acknowledges that sovereignty was never ceded. Ruby pays respect to Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung ancestors, elders, and future leaders in the community today. Ruby would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land her work is inspired by across the colony of so called ‘Australia’. Whilst Ruby feels a connection to nature and explores this in relation to her personal journey – she would like to acknowledge that the connection to Country for First Nations communities exceeds her own and is of far greater cultural significance. As a white settler this dichotomy has been a challenge for Ruby to overcome. Through a journey of self-acceptance and personal growth via Art Therapy - Ruby has been able to accept her own connection to nature alongside acknowledging First Nations communities’ connection to Country as two very different experiences existing simultaneously. This land always was and always will be Aboriginal land.