A few days ago I was scrolling on Facebook when I encountered a person selling some earrings on an Aboriginal cultural page I frequent. Good for them, I thought. I then scrolled further and saw that they had made a cute set of earrings featuring a turtle. I might have thought that was lovely too, had it not been for the fact that I recognised the design – It was mine! Earrings, key chains, necklaces – the lot! Priced at $15 and $30 AU, and for sale over a minimum of 6 months. Outrageous stuff.
It’s a terrible feeling to have your art stolen. It’s even worse when you confront the culprit, and they blame you for having shared your art online, and they question your identity.
Below is the design, as featured originally on an album cover I created for Benny Walker, in 2020.
So from here I now have to go down the path of dealing with a rather unpleasant affair. I’d much rather be spending my time making art, rather than work for the legal profession.