Jason McCarthur remembers the first time he received an email with a request to purchase one of his Broken Hill tote bags.
It was late 2024, and the email seemed odd.
For one, the sender appeared to be overseas and, secondly, McCarthur received another almost identical email about half an hour later.
He presumed it was a scam, until more enquiries arrived in his inbox about the tote bags.
Soon, he had sold out of the bags so he ordered 100 more. A day later, those too had all sold out and he had 30 pre-orders for more.
But it did not stop there.
Jason McCarthur sells his artwork on magnets and tote bags.
 (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
Unbeknownst to McCarthur, Japanese pop star Fujii Kaze had been spotted in a documentary with one of the Broken Hill artist’s designs on a tote bag.
Suddenly thousands of Kaze’s fans turned their attention to the outback artist living 7,000 kilometres away.
McCarthur’s brush with fame led to him having an exhibition in Tokyo earlier this year.
It started with a tote bag
J-pop singer/songwriter Fujii Kaze had been in McCarthur’s home town of Broken Hill filming a music video for his song Hana, which was released in November 2023 and has more than 71 million views on YouTube.
During production the multi-award-winning artist’s production team ventured into the city to collect supplies and souvenirs, stopping in at McCarthur’s shop on Argent Street.
“They came in and I had a bit of a chat with one of the fellas, but you wouldn’t have thought they were any different to anyone else,” said McCarthur, who sells souvenirs, crystals and artworks.
Among the team’s purchases was a tote bag with one of McCarthur’s cityscapes on it.
Fujii Kaze’s production team purchased a Broken Hill tote from Jason McCarthur. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
Months later Kaze was spotted with the tote bag in a documentary.
The documentary was only released in Japan so McCarthur was completely unaware of it when he started receiving messages from eager fans wanting the same tote.
“It was so random, and I thought it was spam … I thought someone had taken the mickey out of me,” he said.
“I said to my wife, ‘What do we do?’ Like, I didn’t know what the hell was going on.
“We were driving the post ladies batty.”
McCarthur believes he has sold more than 15,000 bags since then.
Opportunity comes knocking
The demand for the totes led McCarthur to make contact with a reseller in Japan, one of the first people who initially reached out to purchase the bag, a woman named Hiroko Yasutomi.
The pair became fast friends and got talking about future plans.
“I said to Hiroko that I had always dreamt of having an exhibition overseas, and she said she’d look into it.”
To McCarthur’s shock, Ms Hiroko delivered on her promise and she found a gallery cafe in Shibuya, central Tokyo, that was interested in showing his work.Â
Jason McCarthur with his family and friends at his exhibition in Tokyo. (Supplied: Jason McCarthur)
“We had to fund everything ourselves, [but] we took the risk on,” McCarthur said.
“Up until this point it was never something on our mind to go to Japan.”
Jason McCarthur was overwhelmed by the hospitality he received in Japan. (Supplied: Jason McCarthur)
In early January, McCarthur and his wife Amy, along with their two daughters, travelled to Japan to make his dream a reality.
“I had one lady cry after having a photo with me and she said, ‘I’m OK, but I’m overwhelmed from meeting you’, and I thought, ‘I’m Jason McCarthur from Broken Hill, I’m no celebrity.'”
The artist said he was now planning to set up a website for his business where he could sell his art online.
Open door policy
McCarthur’s souvenir shop on Broken Hill’s main drag is more than a store; it’s also where he paints.
With a full-time business and two teenage daughters, it is often the only place he can get his artwork done.
“It might take a few days [to complete a painting] depending on how busy the shop is,” he said.
With a busy home life, Jason McCarthur often paints at work when he has the time. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
Much of his art is inspired by the outback.
“I love painting colour and painting stories; if I see something that I like I’ll have a go at it. Anything from football to flowers to the landscape, I’ll have a go.”
Art has also provided him with an outlet when times get tough with his mental health.
Wellbeing is something McCarthur takes very seriously and it has led to him having an “open door” policy for anyone who needs a chat.
Jason McCarthur says his door is open for anyone who needs a chat. (ABC Broken Hill: Coquohalla Connor)
“[Sometimes] you’re smashing your head against a brick wall, every turn seems to be another hurdle to cross and you find that you’re not winning, but when you don’t have people around you it’s harder to see that rainbow at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
“I tell people that if this door is open, then I’m happy to talk to them.”