The four Aboriginal artists featured at Australia's biggest open studio showcase in Western Australia next month have revealed the inspirations behind their work and journey.

Thousands of passionate art lovers will see the quartet's work, featured at free open studios across the South West for 16 days.

The four Indigenous women are among 144 artists at the Margaret River Region Open Studios event from September 7-22, with special studio openings happening from Busselton down to Augusta.

Organisers said they were thrilled at the record number of Aboriginal artists at its 11th annual showcase, after actively encouraging and supporting more Indigenous participation.

The quartet of female artists – India Armstrong, Melanie Hume, Jo Bear and Kim Kiosses – along with 30 new exhibitors and renowned artists (Leon Pericles, Christian Fletcher, Lauren Wilhelm and more) can expect huge exposure, after 15,000 visitors made 145,000 studio visits in 2023.

Ms Armstrong, a 24-year-old artist from Busselton, will have a variety of art, including canvas painting, sketching and digital art, on show at the town's Open Studios location, The Old Courthouse Gallery.

"I've had a creative flare from a young age, starting with sketching and now creating the beautiful art you see from me today," she told National Indigenous Times.

Her passion for art came from her family and culture, after growing up on Wadandi Country.

"I've been able to draw since I can remember. And then one day my mum asked for a piece of art for her school – they were looking for Aboriginal art - and I really liked it, so I guess it started there," Ms Armstrong said.

"We're known as the Saltwater People, so doing a lot of the colours of the ocean really inspires me ... as does Aboriginal history, and issues surrounding Aboriginal people."

Ms Armstrong was looking forward to having her art seen by the wider public.

"It will be good to get my name out there amongst the public … and would be nice for people other than my family and friends to tell me my art is good.

"It'll help build my confidence."

Ms Bear said she had spent her life painting and drawing, constantly exploring as an artist after completing an art and design diploma in the 1990s.

"That training enriched and broadened my skills, knowledge and creative development with my pottery, sculptural and fine art training," she said.

"Now I have explored further and expressing through ceramics (wheel and hand-built forms) and sculpture, mainly clay and ceramics."

Her paintings of acrylic on canvas and chalk pastel drawings are based on five themes.

"They are family and cultural identity – I have both white and black ancestors in Victoria; commonality of the human life, our inner worlds of mind, emotion, body and clarity; the Earth, land and its mystery, interconnectedness, and spirit; birthing and childbearing; and the stars and beyond."

Her work will appear at the event's Witchcliffe location, Art with Heart Studio.

Ms Kiosses' art reflected her life, experiences, family history, environment, culture and heritage as a Noongar, Banyjima and Nyiyaparli woman.

"I like that my artwork is a way of communicating and starting conversations within the broader community," she said.

"People are interested in my perspective, personal expression and my family history.

Ms Kiosses studied TEE Art in Year 12 before studying to and becoming a horticulturalist.

"I worked in that industry for a long time, but it was also still creative," she said.

"And then, I've just been waiting for the right time to get back into art."

From Ballardong Noongar Country, Ms Kiosses enrolled in a weekly TAFE course where her studies in Margaret River led her lecturer and fellow 2024 Open Studios artist Dea Hadow.

"I've been studying with her on and off for the last few years… it's been a bit of a process, and I've got to the point now where I'm loving my style … and am confident in my work," she said.

The artist's grandparents were part of the Stolen Generation and it was only recently she discovered her family's roots.

"My pop was taken from the Pilbara and Nan was taken from out near York and then they went to Sister Kate's (a children's church mission east of Perth), which is where they met, fell in love and had nine kids," said Ms Kiosses, who's original paintings and hand screen prints including on bags and shirts will feature at the event's Dunsborough site.

"It had been my parents' lifelong dream to travel back to the Pilbara and discover the family's identity and where we belong.

"It's changed our lives a lot because growing up I didn't even know what my language groups were and now having that knowledge has strengthened us.

"It's also somewhere I've now taken my kids and year after year I take my parents and my kids as I feel it's important my kids know their Country and are proud of who they are.

"My mum recently passed so it was lovely that my kids got to be able to spend that time with my parents and build their connection."

Ms Hume, a Noongar artist who has lived in Busselton for most her life, said her traditional dot painting featuring Indigenous symbols were inspired by the ocean, its aquatic wildlife and flowing currents.

"The creativity and patience to create stories and the different colours we use all blend together in harmony," she said.

Ms Hume's style combines the cultures of her father (South West) and mother (Geraldton).

She created a huge mural outside Woolworths in Busselton with other artists, depicting the ocean and its connection between Indigenous people and the local community.

"This is an opportunity to show my art and bring myself out of my shell," she said of the event, where her art will feature at Origin Markets in Busselton.

"It was lovely hearing the feedback from the mural … One lady told me that her dad had passed away and the artwork gives her memories of her dad from both cultures.

"She was a white lady so it was significant she noticed the design and it meant something to her."

The September 7-22 Margaret River Open Studios also features creations in other mediuns, from photographers, mosaicists, potters, printmakers, metalwork and timber craftspeople, textile makers, illustrators, installation artists, sculptors, glassmakers, jewellers, upcyclers, ceramicists and furniture makers.

Vasse MLA Libby Mettam said the community event helped artists overcome various hurdles and commercial challenges of their industry.

"It's something we all benefit from when it can be achieved," she said.

"Apart from the tourism benefits we get from Margaret River Region Open Studios, as a community and society we benefit somuch, and our artists are able to thrive."

More than $2 million was raised for artists last year through sales.

"This event would not be possible without our wonderful artists who have put in the effort, believing in themselves, imagining they can, and expressing themselves as hobbyist, emerging or professional artists," Ms Mettam said.

As well as artist studio openings, the 16-day event features an array of artist-run workshops, classes and events, which can be viewed online .