FRONT RUNNER ON THE MOVE: LOWELL HUNTER
Sand artist extraordinaire Lowell Hunter is also known as The Salty One.
Inspired by his Aboriginal heritage, he channels his cultural roots to create extraordinary sand art using only his feet. Each piece is crafted with a deep respect and connection to the land, thereby capturing the essence of Australia’s stunning landscapes. Once complete, he uses a drone to capture his intricate designs.
Often, you will find Lowell at work somewhere along the famous Great Ocean Road, the place he now calls home. His unique creative process and quality of his work has led to a strong local and global demand for his unique works of art. We recently caught up with Lowell to chat about his culture, creative processes, favorite camping spots, and much more…
You’re originally from the Kimberleys in Western Australia; how have your roots impacted your life?
My roots and journey, particularly my knowledge of Indigenous culture, have helped me understand who I am. I live a life centred around being strong in culture and who I am.
Maybe others who don’t have the connections I’ve made through learning about culture from the elders in my community struggle with knowing who they are, and this undoubtedly impacts their mental health and who they’ve become. I implement what I’ve learned from others into my life. It’s inspired the creation of my art and let me do many amazing things.
Your artwork connects culture and country. Why these two components?
While living in the Kimberleys, I learned the importance of our relationship with the country and the ocean from a young age. You’re a part of them and need to work in harmony with them so that they can provide for you and look after you.
As I got older and resettled in south-west Victoria on the other side of Australia, the way I view the country has stayed with me. When you become an adult, you face different life challenges, and to get through those difficult times, the one place I could always go is the country and ocean. They always look after me and take care of me. I now see it as where I fill my cup or seek inspiration. They allow me to harness their energy for my creative process.
Talk us through this creative process.
We live in a world that requires so much of us, leaving us feeling burnt out. So, I remove myself from this world, take myself to a beach, and delve into a creative and cultural world.
I slip into a meditative state of creativity, where a flow allows me to create my art. I draw inspiration from the country; it could be the surge in the ocean swell, the wind picking up, or the heat. There’s so much to get inspired by that I need to take a moment to connect with that space. I’m big on slowing down the mind, body, and spirit.
Then, it’s also about harnessing the energy from my culture, which means bringing in my kite sticks, boomerangs, and singing to the country. This connects me with my ancestors and brings creativity to what I do.
A single piece of your art covers a rather large piece of land; how do you make it work?
Yes, they cover a large piece of beach or land, but you must stop at some point, or else the tide will get to it, or the sun will eventually set, so I carefully time my artwork and consider the tides and energy. So, if I wanted to have waves on the edge of a piece of art I have created, I would’ve had to consider the tides and time it right. I will work for two or three hours before that, get the art done, and once the waves are in the right place, I’ll take a beautiful shot from above with my drone. A fair amount of planning goes into achieving the final product, and it has brought lots of practice, patience, trial, and error to get where I am currently.
What can we do about the global impact on the environment?
I feel like society is changing in that we are becoming more aware of our impact on the environment; this is due to passionate and driven advocates who not only want to ensure that our voices are being heard but also those of minority groups who are having issues that are affecting their communities. The more we voice these issues and make people aware that change needs to occur, the better we become First Nations people and society.
Tell us about some of your favorite remote locations.
Living on the Great Ocean Road lends itself to some of the most spectacular coastal areas in the world. I don’t care how often I drive down that road; there is always something new to see and appreciate. As a father with four young sons, I always seek ways to explore our world. I enjoy going out and off-roading with my family and am lucky to wake up in this area every day.
A second area I love is the Grampians region in Victoria, as it offers a beautiful mountain escape. It is a great place to go and experience nature. I’d be silly not to include the Kimberleys, as it’s like no other place in the world. I’ve been lucky to travel to Africa, China, and New Zealand. Every time I return to the Kimberleys, I realize what a wonderful place it is thanks to the climate, fishing, hunting, spending time with family, and doing cultural business.
You drive a new Defender 110; what a way to get around.
It’s been a dream car for me, and it’s perfect for runs to Melbourne to deliver artwork. It comes into its own on the weekends and holidays, as it’s very comfortable cruising in for hours. I’ve done a few off-road tracks in it and have been impressed by its capabilities. The only thing that lets the Defender down is the lack of boot space. It’s also excellent for towing the caravan.
In a few months, I plan on taking it to Cairns on a big trip, but first, I need to install the Voyager Power System from Dometic/Enerdrive to have power on the go. Thanks to my recent collaboration with Dometic, 100 of these units feature my artwork.
How have you kitted it out for family getaways?
I’ve put a roof rack on it, which negates the lack of boot space, and we have a roof-top tent for sleeping in. I love the Front Runner Wolf Pack Pro storage boxes, as they help store our camping gear. When I do my artwork on the beach, I take along the camping chairs so the family has somewhere to sit while I work. The roof rack has been a real game-changer.
How would you like to be remembered one day?
I’m the only Indigenous Australian doing this type of work. Therefore, I want to be remembered as a pioneer who was creative in a new way that continues cultural storytelling, which is essential to me. Hopefully, my kids and grandkids will talk about my work and tell other young Indigenous people how much they can benefit from a connection to their culture and country.
