The Wonnarua artist from Lake Macquarie was the creative force behind the huge arbour that greets people when they arrive at the new Maitland Hospital.

She's not exactly sure of the dimensions, but the official press release had it at 75 metres long and, in Saretta's own words, "I'd guess it's about 12 or 13 metres high".

It wasn't your average canvas.

Not only that, but the project was to be done not with brushes and paint, but in coloured brisquettes - essentially clay bricks.

"I've painted train engines for Grain Corp, and I did the Hunter ENT building at Nine Ways as well as a number of other big projects, but not of this scale and certainly not in bricks," she said.

For Saretta, an artist with a gallery at Toronto, a love of her culture, a burgeoning reputation and a thriving business, it was a wonderful opportunity.

"I'd been encouraged to apply for the tender and saw it as the chance to be a conduit, to showcase the Wonnarua culture, and at the same time offer a welcome to the wider community," she said.

"So when I was awarded the tender I sat down with Wonnarua elders and talked to them about what they'd like to see, and to the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council leaders.

"After that I did a survey at NAIDOC Week, asking other indigenous locals what they'd like to see represented.

"When aIl that was done I came up with a design and we'd workshop that with elders and at Mindaribba, get their feedback, make changes until we had a design we all were happy with.

"I think in general we wanted it to be a positive message of reconciliation and welcome. We wanted to acknowledge the traditional owners, but still have a sense of past, present and future."

It didn't finish there though.

Next came regular trips to Sydney to sit down with designers and architects, sketches in hand, and work out a design that would work within the contraints of brisquettes.

"The brisquettes were in four colours, from dark brown through to, say, ochre, so we'd arrange them on a computer, move the bricks, move the images, until we finally got what we were after."

The finished design highlights the wedge tailed eagle which is the totum of the Wonnarua people, the Hunter River, Wonnarua elders and the community.

"Anecdotally the response has been overwhelmingly positive. We took the elders up to the helipad when it was complete and they loved it. I must admit I'm delighted with the way it turned out."

Now it's back to her gallery and projects on a smaller scale. For now anyway.

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