Recycled Mats with Aboriginal designs – perfect for families

Recycled Mats turn unwanted and discarded materials into beautiful mats, which are functional, practical and beautifully designed.

Perfect for family life, the mats also feature artwork by Australia and New Zealand’s First Nation people, including celebrated Aboriginal artist, Angela Marr-Grogan.

Angela says that using the designs of Indigenous people is a special way to acknowledge the connection we have to the land, sea and the environment.

“We need to take care of Mother Earth,” she said. “And Recycled Mats’ vision: ‘for the love of the environment – for the love of culture’, is a wonderful ethos.”

Angela has contributed two designs to Recycled Mats’ range – campfire and reconciliation – both printed on circular recycled mats, which are perfect for picnics in the park, trips to the beach or pool parties.

“I love circles, and I used them for both pieces as they represent a togetherness or gathering, and that’s essentially the theme and meaning behind both pieces,” she shared.

“Reconciliation is a special design that I envisaged being popular as a mat with schools, child care centres and organisations that have a Reconciliation Action Plan in place.

“Campfire is a mat that is great for family or friends gathering together for picnics or outdoor use.”

As a wife and mother of four, Angela juggles her artistic career at Marrang Art with caring for her children.

“Four of my greatest creations are my children – Tori, Tarran, Gideon and Harper,” Angela says.

“They are my life and I’m a mother first and always, which leaves only a small amount of time to create… A balance of work and family is very important to my husband and I, and my art business gives us this flexibility.”

Angela says that she loves creating artworks for her children, who are also artistic themselves.

“One of my earlier artworks was a piece titled ‘Mother Earth’,” Angela said.

“I painted it for my children and it hangs in the bedroom of my two youngest children and represents nurturing, growth and comfort.

“My second youngest son, Gideon, shows amazing talent and a keen interest in everything I do. He already wants to work on a collaborative piece with me and has drafted up a design/concept for the piece. He’s only eight years of age and is not only one of my biggest fans, but he is also my personal PR guy and carries business cards with him. He also plans to take over ‘Marrang Art’ when I retire so I’m encouraging him in every way.”

For Angela, her passion for art began developing in her late teens, although she has been drawing for as long as she can remember.

“I lost my father when I was 20,” Angela shared. “He was a proud Aboriginal man that encouraged me to embrace my heritage and develop a strong sense of cultural identity, which was difficult growing up in the coastal town of Port Macquarie.

“And so painting in some ways is a tribute and a way to connect to my ancestors, my father and my mother, who were both of Aboriginal descent.”

Nowadays, it is her husband Tony who encourages her to pursue her culture and heritage through art.

“He was the one who encouraged me to pursue a painting career, and without his support, I would not be able to create and would not have established Marrang Art,” she said.

To find out more about Recycled Mats, or to order one online, visit www.recycledmats.com.au.