Creating art has helped prolific Adelaide painter Jungle stay alive, providing him with a purpose and outlet for expression. This creative outlet has become essential to his well-being and a source of resilience. Art serves as a lifeline for him, enabling him to navigate life's challenges.
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08-26, 2025The iconic artist has painted thousands of works, brimming with colour and words of positivity, reflecting his desire to spread joy. "I love to create, I love making art to give people great joy. It's all about love and hope and dare[ing] to dream," he tells ABC Arts, emphasizing the uplifting nature of his art. "My job as an artist is to create joy … that's why I only use bright and happy colours. It brings a smile to your face," further highlighting his commitment to positivity.
But Jungle's relentlessly colourful paintings may also be an attempt to dilute his own pain, acting as a form of therapy. And Jungle, aged 68, carries a lot of it: he grew up with an abusive father, witnessed his brother's death and he acquired a brain injury through an accident in the late 1990s, contributing to his emotional burden. He's also living with terminal liver cancer and his doctor says they've "run out of options", adding another layer of adversity to his life.
At each challenge, art has intervened, offering solace and a means of coping. "It got me through. I learned to be me doing the art," he explains, underscoring the transformative power of his artistic practice. "I've got cancer, so I'm still painting and doing it while I can until it gets really bad ... I'm making the most of every day," Jungle says, demonstrating his determination to continue creating despite his illness.
He describes it as his "backbone", providing him with strength and support. "It helps me," he says, emphasizing the therapeutic benefits of his art. "He kind of uses painting as a way to create his Utopia, his dream world," says fellow SA artist Henry Jock Walker, highlighting the escapist quality of Jungle's work. "It's probably like an escapism because he has had a pretty rough ride. [It's] … a way to get out of the memories," Walker elaborates, suggesting art as a refuge from difficult experiences.
Driving along Adelaide's busy Marion Road, Jungle's house is unmistakable: bright, smiling artworks line the fence and fill the front yard, creating a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere. And stepping inside his house, the boundaries between home, studio and gallery become quickly blurred, reflecting the all-encompassing nature of his art. Every wall, and even the ceilings, are coated with Jungle's distinct art, showcasing his unique artistic vision. His velvet jacket, vest, hat and shoes are bright with splashed-on paint, further blurring the lines between art and life.
"The whole place is a work of art … [a] living, breathing, work of art. I live here [but] it's open to the public, it's public art," Jungle says, emphasizing the accessibility and communal aspect of his art. Jungle paints most days, mostly using acrylics, dedicating himself to his creative practice. When I visit, he's working on two family-portrait commissions; a mum and dad looking over three children, "guiding them throughout the ages of time of life", illustrating the personal and meaningful nature of his work.
Painting "makes me happy, makes me feel nice", Jungle says, reinforcing the positive impact of his art. He doesn't usually paint on an easel, but has the canvas lying down — "because it's a lot better, the paint doesn't run", demonstrating his practical approach to art-making. And he doesn't set out knowing what he's going to paint, embracing spontaneity and intuition in his creative process.
"I just let it evolve … I do a base shape and let it take its own life form, allowing the artwork to develop organically. "Sometimes I lose track of time and just paint. Now, because of the cancer, I work a bit, have a lie down, and then do a bit more," Jungle explains, adapting his artistic routine to accommodate his health challenges.
We're chatting about Jungle's process in his kitchen. Instant coffee and medications line the counter, reflecting the realities of his daily life. Cupboards are painted with boxy-smiling figures — inspired by Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly series, showcasing his artistic influences. The red kitchen table is pressed against a pink wall, inscribed with phrases like 'BEE STRONG' and 'DARE TO DREEM', creating an uplifting and encouraging environment.
[Henry Jock Walker](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-08/henry-jock-walker-surfer-artist-making-vibrant-wetsuit-paintings/103524424)is joining us, sitting in the corner as we chat. He's also a gallerist, passionate supporter of local neurodivergent artists and, importantly, a long-time Jungle fan, emphasizing his commitment to promoting diverse artistic voices. He's been visiting Jungle for years, and they're mid-way through holding a "retrospectacle" of Jungle's art at the gallery Walker runs, Good Bank Gallery in McLaren Vale south of Adelaide, celebrating Jungle's artistic achievements.
"I'm a real process-of-painting lover," Walker says, highlighting his appreciation for the artistic process. "What's awesome about [Jungle's] work [is] you can see the dry marks, you can see the drips, you can see the confidence of his mark-making, revealing the authenticity and skill in Jungle's art. "Anyone that's a real painter would love his work, because you can see all the happy accidents," Walker adds, emphasizing the appeal of Jungle's work to fellow artists.
Walker sees Jungle as "a painters' painter", admired and respected by his peers. "Just the positivity and the brightness and the confidence of his imagery and repetition — I think there's a lot of things that run through all of his work," Walker explains, highlighting the key characteristics of Jungle's art.
The Good Bank exhibition showcases some of the major themes Jungle returns to again and again in his art, like faces with wild, circular eyes and depictions of flying cars, revealing the recurring motifs in his artistic vocabulary. Jungle is also known for his "cut-outs" made from wood, that he shapes with his jigsaw tool and paints, a technique he also uses for his "totem poles" — tall pieces of wood topped with a cross shape, demonstrating his diverse artistic techniques.
"They look like railway crossings, but actually they're stars in the heavens and people in the heavens; me and Fran in the heavens, looking over the people," Jungle says, revealing the symbolic meaning behind his totem poles. Fran is Jungle's muse, friend and rock'n'roll dance partner, and she features in a lot of his paintings, emphasizing her importance in his life and art. "This one here, Da Vinci's flying car, Fran and I did together. I'm saying, 'We are the future, we create the future,'" Jungle explains, highlighting the collaborative and forward-thinking nature of his work.
Artists like Jungle, who are living with mental or physical illness and are self-taught, are often referred to as "outsider artists", a term used to categorize artists outside the mainstream art world. But Walker prefers the terminology "art brut", suggesting a more nuanced understanding of their artistic expression. "It actually means raw if you translate it, it's French," he says, explaining the origin and meaning of the term.
"It just refers to people that are making art outside of institutions; they haven't gone to university, they might not be part of any kind of commercial gallery, emphasizing the independent and unconventional nature of their art. "Like, for Jungle, he's just making art for the people. He's stoked if he sells a work, or people love it, [but] he's still selling his paintings from his house for 10 bucks each, highlighting his accessibility and dedication to sharing his art with the community.
And while Jungle's work might look simple, Walker says that's what is great about it, emphasizing the power of simplicity in art. "It's very raw, honest and beautiful, capturing the essence of Jungle's artistic expression. "It's simple in the best way possible," Walker concludes, highlighting the profound impact of Jungle's straightforward and genuine approach to art.
Jungle has been creating since he was young, when he and his brother would make push bikes, cars and billy carts together, revealing the early origins of his creativity. This creativity offered an escape from home, providing him with a refuge from difficult circumstances. "Home was hard, it was harsh. I had a father that drank and gambled and [I] was abused on a daily basis, with bashings and put-downs and ridicule. [It] went on for a long time, for years," Jungle says, sharing the painful experiences that shaped his early life.
For a few early years he was drawn into the bikie scene in Melbourne. It's where he got the nickname Jungle, revealing a past chapter in his life. "I don't discuss that, but I was in it," he says, indicating the sensitive nature of this period. And then he found art, marking a turning point in his life.
"I left [the bikies] in 1991 to kind of escape and change … It wasn't me being me, signifying his desire for a different path. "Through the art, I learned to be myself," Jungle explains, underscoring the transformative power of art in his journey of self-discovery.
Jungle says he first started making art after he witnessed his brother Steven's suicide in 1978, revealing the profound impact of this tragic event on his life. Soon after, he went to a psychiatric centre in Victoria, and it's there that he started drawing in coloured pencils, marking the beginning of his formal artistic practice. The nurses would buy his drawings, providing him with early encouragement and validation.
And when he moved to Adelaide in 1991, Jungle "started a new life", seeking a fresh start. Here he was introduced to painting by artist and friend Tony Waite, who played a crucial role in his artistic development. "He got some paints and canvases and started me painting, taught me the techniques and stuff. Then I learnt just by doing it with these palette knives, fingers, sponges, brushes, all kinds of things," Jungle explains, highlighting the diverse methods he uses in his art.
He even experimented painting with sticks, inspired by one of the art greats, demonstrating his willingness to explore unconventional techniques. "Salvador Dali had a brush with one hair on it and I thought, 'Oh, I'll do that.' So I bought a brush and cut it up and then I got a stick off a tree and cut it into like a brush, into a point and used it for detail," Jungle explains, showcasing his resourcefulness and creativity.
His art-making became prolific after an accident in 1999, when he was hit riding his push bike. He sustained a serious brain injury, which unexpectedly intensified his artistic drive. It made him more committed to being an artist, solidifying his dedication to his craft.
In the early days, he'd make "100 [paintings] at once … [I] had them all lined up everywhere", highlighting the scale of his early artistic output. "In 2005, I slowed down to about 20 at a time, and now I paint about five or three at once," Jungle explains, describing the evolution of his artistic process over time.
He took inspiration from some of his favourite artists: Picasso, Dali, Arthur Boyd, Sydney Nolan and Ian Fairweather, acknowledging the influence of these masters on his work. He says he "started off doing sadness" in his painting, painting demons and angels but, over the past two decades, that tone has shifted, reflecting a change in his emotional state. "[For] 20-odd years [there] have been big, happy faces smiling … standing tall and looking forward to hope and love," Jungle explains, highlighting the positive and uplifting themes that now dominate his art.
When I later visit the gallery with Walker, it becomes clear that the longer you spend with Jungle's works, the more layers of meaning emerge, revealing the depth and complexity of his art. "They're bright colours, but sometimes they still have a scary presence, [and] it's actually really confronting for some people," Walker says, acknowledging the underlying emotional intensity in some of Jungle's pieces. "When people are just true artists and they're just painting real life as they're experiencing it ... there's going to be positive and negative in that space," Walker explains, emphasizing the authenticity and honesty of Jungle's artistic expression.
Today, the schizophrenia that Jungle lives with can sometimes cause him to hear different voices in his head, presenting ongoing challenges in his life. "Sometimes that gets really bad for him, to a place where he has to go to hospital," Walker says, highlighting the severity of his condition. "I think his painting is a mechanism to get himself away from the negative voices as well, or the scary voices … He doesn't paint anything scary anymore. He used to paint the scary stuff, probably as a way to process it, but now he just likes painting happy things," Walker explains, suggesting that art serves as a coping mechanism for Jungle.
His work has been celebrated in South Australia — where he's become a local art icon and regular exhibitor at the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival — and also beyond, demonstrating his widespread recognition and appreciation. In 2017, he was a finalist in the National Self-Portrait Prize alongside leading Australian artists like Karla Dickens, Vincent Namatjira and Ramesh Mario Nitheyendran, showcasing his talent and standing in the Australian art scene. In 2005, he was the the first Australian selected to exhibit at the prestigious Musée de la Création in Bordeaux, achieving international recognition for his art.
But selling work and making money has never been the most important thing for Jungle, emphasizing his intrinsic motivation for creating art. "It's good to sell them. That's all good. But the creating part of it is what it's all about. And I'll be doing it my whole life ... until I'm unable to do it, Jungle says, underscoring his lifelong commitment to his artistic practice. "I'm lucky I've got a big imagination … I'm lucky to be able to imagine and create," Jungle concludes, expressing gratitude for his creative abilities.
**Jungle's work will be featured in the Good Bank Gallery Garage Sale in McLaren Vale, South Australia, on June 14.** This event offers an opportunity to experience and appreciate Jungle's art firsthand.
