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Mark Rusic is an acclaimed artist, author, and motivational public speaker with a key focus on building bridges of reconciliation and understanding between First Nations peoples and the broader Australian community. He has worked in many First Nations communities, both domestically and abroad and has captured that journey in his artwork, and published books with speaking engagements.
Mark sketching in a remote First Nation community in WA
Mark Live Painting at MCEC 2024 as a Jiga Jiga Paint Ambassador
RAP painting and vision casting
🎨 Painting & Speaking to Support and Empower Your Corporate Reconciliation Plan
Visionary Art with a Message of Hope & Healing
Bridging business, government, and Traditional Owners through inspiring talks and powerful artworks—
in the spirit of Closing the Gap and Indigenous Procurement.
🗣️ Talk Title: RAP Recalibrated – Reconciliation Accentuated through Partnerships
A dynamic, engaging session designed to help organisations move beyond compliance and into meaningful collaboration with First Nations people.
Talk Outline (1-Hour Format):
1️⃣ Partnerships Are Possible and Purposeful
Discover key historical moments and federal policies that empower businesses to partner with Indigenous enterprises.
🕒 20 minutes
2️⃣ Real-World Examples of Joint Ventures
Hear inspiring stories and learnings from successful partnerships between First Nations businesses and major corporations.
🕒 20 minutes
3️⃣ Q&A and What You Can Do Next
Ask questions, explore next steps, and receive a complimentary artwork created using Jiga Jiga paints.
🕒 20 minutes
✨ Optional Add-On: Reflective Workshop (Extra 30 Minutes)
Choose one of the following immersive experiences to deepen cultural connection and reflection:
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🎨 Sketch Like Van Gogh – A guided art session using First Nations-inspired linework and Jiga Jiga paints
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📖 Reflective Author Talk – A storytelling session that explores the power of collaboration with Traditional Owners
📅 Make a Booking Today
Book your session
Choose the 1-hour RAP Recalibrated Talk, or extend to 1.5 hours by adding a workshop.
Let us know your estimated attendee numbers.
✅ 1. Pricing
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From $1,500 per 1-hour session
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Add reflective workshop: +$500
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Travel fees may apply outside Melbourne CBD
✅ 2. Choose your time slot
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Learn @ Lunchtime
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Build during Brunch
✅ 3. Select your RAP Art Package
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Choose a pre-designed RAP artwork template: $2,000
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Or commission a customised artwork to suit your RAP story or office space (price on consultation)
✅ 4. Book now
📩 Email: info@iconiccolours.com
Choose your Free 'RAP Recalibrated' Painting accompanied with the talk
Title: Come to the Round Table
This artwork captures a moment of deep collaboration in a remote setting. An Aboriginal Traditional Owner is seen sketching plans in the desert sand—a timeless act of vision-sharing. Around him, non-Indigenous collaborators gather as equals to co-design and co-construct a shared project. The round table symbolises unity, respect, and equal voice—a visual metaphor for true partnership between cultures.
Title: Balance the Scales
In this evocative drawing, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is reimagined as a vast set of scales, subtly tipping on—and toward—a bold, stylised original Indigenous dwelling set atop North Head. This home stands as a marker of heritage, belonging, and enduring presence, acting as a visual anchor—firm and dignified—opposite the towering skyline of industry and commerce.
Above the city, cloud formations swirl like a divine breath, suggesting a gentle nudge from heaven—a subtle but decisive shift. The composition speaks to a new season of Indigenous enterprise and reconciliation through business, as the weight of history begins to rebalance toward truth, inclusion, and shared future.
Title: United We Stand in Justice
In a remote community, two twisted gum trees grow closely intertwined—one light, one dark—standing together before the local police station, a place often associated with justice and authority. Their seamless union speaks powerfully to the vision that Black and White Australians were always meant to stand as one, despite history’s flaws and the imperfections of both.
The trees do not compete—they bend, grow, and hold together—symbolising a shared strength rooted in justice, reconciliation, and enduring hope. As one Elder reflected, “That’s exactly how it’s meant to be.”
4. Lazarus’s House
In a remote Indigenous community, a modest black home stands beside a white home—no fences, no separation—sharing space, peace, and prosperity.
The clouds above subtly echo the form of Van Gogh’s Raising of Lazarus, asking: Can the dreams of First Nations communities be revived, even after generations of loss and hardship?
The wrecked cars out front speak of the past's weight, but the homes and heavens hint at resurrection. This image carries the hope that what was considered lost may live again—side by side.
5. Power as One: The Power Plant
At the request of a respected Elder, I sketched the power plant where he once worked—a symbol of both industry and pride in his community.
The twin funnels highlight—one white, one black—represent the strength of collaboration. Not separate. Not competing. But rising side by side.
The image celebrates shared effort, mutual respect, and local leadership. The Elder’s joyful response affirmed what the image quietly declares:
We generate more when we power as one.
6. My Father Told Me, "This Land is Yours"
When I asked an Elder how he learned to work with major companies and lead with confidence, despite the prevalence of unemployment in many communities, his answer came without hesitation:
“From young, my father told me—this land is yours.”
This drawing shows his home with quiet strength and pride. It’s more than a structure—it’s a symbol of belonging, identity, and generational affirmation.
In a country still finding its unity, this image speaks to the inner authority that reconciliation must include: A voice that says, 'You belong here. This is your land too.'
7. The Campfire and the Bin
One of the simple joys of outback life is gathering around a fire under the stars, sharing stories that warm both body and soul.
In this scene, the glow of the fire lights a path leading directly to a rubbish bin—a quiet, visual metaphor.
To move forward together, some old attitudes and divisions must be discarded. This painting gently reminds us: reconciliation is not just about sitting together—it’s about leaving behind what no longer serves us.
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