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About the Artists
Our vibrant and dynamic artists are from the Utopia region; a large remote area of Central Australia which, until recently, had no government funded art centre. As a result of their pioneering efforts, they have one of the strongest and richest art histories.
Curator's Picks
Shop Dale's expertly chosen paintings for concepts behind the works and tips on what to look for when buying Aboriginal art.
Dale is our Senior Curator who grew up visiting the remote region of Utopia as a child. She has worked professionally with Utopia artists for more than 20 years and has curated numerous exhibitions around the globe. She brings a unique perspective and insight into artist motives, techniques and background to the design process.
Yam Leaf by Dulcie Pwerle
Dulcie is our leading lady painting this Utopian style and this is a classic and timeless oversized piece with absolutely movement beautiful movement. Painted with Matisse's Titanium White on a matte black canvas, it will compliment many decor styles and be a large featured artwork.
I recommend stretching it around a 2cm deep stretcher frame so it will hang relatively flush to the wall, and without any box frame around it. This way the movement will feel as though it carries off the canvas and into the space.
180cm x 120cm
Bush Medicine by Laurie Morton Kngwarreye
Laurie's works offer something more subtle for your space and this piece is especially versatile given its black and white palette.
The crisp white canvas is filled with antique white dots creating a very soft and simplistic effect. The painting is a little rough and imperfect which contributes to its uniqueness, but I also appreciate that Laurie, a self-taught artist, paints slowly and with care. The dotting is robust, having been applied with the large flat end of a bamboo skewer.
Each piece features a different bush medicine and this painting is Arreth; a strong bush medicine leaf boiled with water to make a medicinal drink or wash.
The piece is painted on canvas so it can be stretched, but I think it would look beautiful framed in a sleek black number like this.
60cm x 45cm | $440
Alhalkere Country by Bessie Purvis Petyarre
Bessie proudly paints Alhalkere country in Central Australia's remote Utopia region. Turquoise, phtalo green and blue gum dominate this canvas while a small layering of purple creates a beautiful contrast. The movement and layering is exceptional and lends to its overall energy and aesthetic.
This piece can be hung in any orientation but I particularly adore it vertically with the subtle strings of dots creating an upward energy.
120cm x 45cm
AWELYE ATNWENGERRP BY GALYA PWERLE
It's the colours; the depth with the perfect amount of black showing through; the visible markings beneath the dots; the meaning and the artist; it's all these things for me.
Galya is a special lady in her 90's, always laughing and making others smile, living a traditional desert life in remote Utopia.
90cm x 45cm
AWELYE ATNWENGERRP BY Emily PWERLE
Like her sister Galya, Emily lives a rich traditional life in Utopia's remote north east. Her paintings reflect her Awelye, women's ceremony, in her trademark triangular shapes. This is simply how she remembers being taught to paint them on her body some 80 or so years ago.
Painted in a beautiful deep vermilion, pink blends and white.
90cm x 45cm
Leaves by Esther Haywood
This stunning Leaves painting was painted in three distinct layers; first a blend of Magenta and Vermillion, second with Vermillion and white and finally a soft scattering of leaves in Ash Pink and white.
Esther is grand daughter to one of Australia's most beloved artists, the late Gloria Petyarre.
120cm x 90cm
Desert Yam by Jeannie Mills Pwerle
A calming palette of greens, blues, purple and a hint of pale yellow. The linear brushstrokes depict the yam and its bright purple flower, which is accentuated with intricate dot work that symbolise the yam seed. There is a good level of movement created by Jeannie's distribution of colours and free flow of brush strokes.
Perhaps unintended, the colours coincidentally mimic the trailing yam leaves and its purple flower authentically.
Jeannie painted this piece as part of an ombre collection; playing with dark and light shades hence the darker shades in the top left. It makes this piece one of my top picks because there is always something to gain visually when there is interest such as this, and in this case an added element of depth.
90cm x 90cm
Conkerberry by Polly Ngale
An incredibly beautiful pastel dot painting by acclaimed artist Polly Ngale, who passed away in 2022, with layers of superimposed dots.
Polly would fill up every inch of canvas with colour. In her late 80's/early 90's, she was losing her eyesight which contributed to the layers that would develop in pursuit of covering up the black canvas. She loved using lighter and brighter colours for this reason and telling you how 'good' each painting was as she was doing them.
90cm x 60cm
