Dylan Mooney – “Existing, Resisting”, 2023, archival inkjet pigment print, 42cm x 29.7cm. From the “Still Thriving” series. Purchased 2023. Murdoch University Art Collection.

“Existing, Resisting” is one of an incredible series of digitally painted artworks titled “Still Thriving” by Dylan Mooney. In this set of images, queer love in First Nations communities is depicted and celebrated. Out of the seven artworks which make up this series, “Existing, Resisting” is the one image that personally speaks to me the most with its identity intertwining with mine. In this image, native Australian flowers bloom between two First Nations women who are presumably in love as a flowing rainbow flag embraces them together, all of it is just so beautifully depicted by the artist.

If present me showed this artwork to me as a child back in primary school, I would have never understood the queer aspects of the artwork. I would have instead assumed the two women were merely close friends. I have a school memory of accidentally saying “I love you” to my best friend, followed by a rushed reaction to say, “as a friend!”. I may have known that queer identities existed in one way or another, but I had feared that the idea of saying that I loved my female friend could be interpreted as me being queer. The lack of positive representation between queer people made me avoid ever being associated with that label.

Now that I’ve grown and learned more about queerness and the love between two people of the same-sex, I realised that is something I want but was conditioned to avoid it.

That’s why I heavily encourage more of these incredible artworks that don’t just look pleasing to the eye, but support and encourage young queer people to not be afraid that they may be different to the norm.

Now, speaking as a digital artist myself, the techniques Dylan Mooney has utilised to depict this piece are done incredibly well. Beginner digital artists know how hard it can be to illustrate something as realistic as a face in a digital space for the first time and navigating the many different tools at your disposal. However, with dedication, constant practise and effort, Dylan has coordinated these techniques effectively, inspiring me and many others to not give up the gruelling hours spent perfecting their drawings.

When I first got a drawing tablet around 2018, I drew for hours and hours illustrating the characters I loved. To look back at these crudely drawn images made by 12-year-old me, and then back towards what I’ve created now, it really motivates me to make this more than just a hobby in the future. Digital art may have the lingering stigma that portrays the medium as less impressive compared to traditional pen-and-paper artworks, but viewing Dylan Mooney’s artworks and the many others around the world, there’s nothing that can change who I am, and what I love to do.

About Emily McCann

Emily McCann (2006) is a Noongar and Scottish artist born in Western Australia. In 2024, she began studying a Bachelor of Creative Media, majoring in Games Art & Design at Murdoch University. In her first year of study, she was offered an internship with Murdoch University’s Art Collection to hone her skills within the creative sphere by helping with a variety of tasks in the workplace. Also, within that same year, she had the opportunity to create an illustration for the cover of Murdoch University’s First Nations Sub Strategy Report. Emily one day hopes to become a professional 2D animator or comic book illustrator.