An Epping mum is using art to heal thanks to The Ownership Project

ART can be a powerful balm, as Epping mum Shakara Montalto is discovering on a daily basis.

Shakara Montalto has just celebrated her first exhibition of Aboriginal artworks. Pictures Angie Basdekis

ART can be a powerful balm, as Epping mum Shakara Montalto is discovering on a daily basis.

The pain of losing her father, Martin, who committed suicide in August, is still raw for the 23-year-old, but she has found solace in drawings and designs.

What was once Ms Montalto's private drawings and "scribbling" have now found a place in the public domain through The Ownership Project, a not-for-profit gallery that promotes creative expression of refugee, migrant, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, which hosted her first exhibition last month.

Ms Montalto said her first exhibition was dedicated to her father and to raising awareness about mental illness.

"The exhibition was really an escape for me, from the pain of losing my dad; it's helping me heal," she said.

"My father went through his whole life with a mental illness, which was never diagnosed.

"So I wanted to dedicate the exhibition to him. I think he would be proud of me."

With the support of her employer, the Victorian Aboriginal community Controlled Health Organisation, Ms Montalto was invited to create artwork as part of The Ownership Project.

The exhibition featured eight line etchings and several wood carvings, influenced by growing up surrounded by work by the Gunditjmara people from Lake Condah Mission, near Portland.

Ms Montalto said she had no formal art training, but was proud of what she had been able to create.

Anyone experiencing mental health difficulties should phone Lifeline on 13 11 14, or beyondblue on 1300 224  636.