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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.
Who is Esther
Esther Haywood is an Anmatyerre woman, mother of three, nanna of two, wife, sister, artist, friend-to-many and the grand daughter of one of Australia's most beloved artists; the late Gloria Petyarre.
When she was a young girl, her mother died in a car accident and so she and her younger brother would split their time growing up between Ali Curung with their father and Utopia with Gloria. Esther attended Alekarenge school and started painting when she was 16 years old under the guidance of Gloria's family in Utopia.
Painting was a booming industry for desert artists at this time and female artists at Utopia led the scene. Art such as Leaves by Gloria, Bush Yam by Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Grass Seed by Barbara Weir were fetching tens of thousands of dollars. A mere decade earlier, canvas art was just getting started.
About Leaves
Esther's early paintings would represent her Awelye (women's ceremony) or the Arnkerrthe Dreaming from her grandmother's country. It wasn't until after her grandmother's passing in 2021 and at her behest, that she began painting leaves.
Esther's grandmother is the original creator of the leaves style that has swept the desert art industry, and it won her grandmother the Wynne Prize in 1999 for best Australian landscape.
Originally, the leaves were inspired by those that had fallen to the ground and swept across the landscape in swift passing zephyrs. But, over time, they evolved to encompass important medicinal leaves that can be collected for making bush medicines.
One bush medicine that Esther was taught to make was an ointment, derived from crushed leaves and fat from kangaroos and echidnas, and applied topically to faces and hair so that its powerful aroma would linger and aid in the relief of colds.
Q+A
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Esther uses different sized brushes for different effects to create her leaf designs, often blending colours across two or three (or sometimes up to five) layers.
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Esther was born at the Alice Springs Hospital in 1982.
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Yes. Gloria was Esther's grandmother and looked after her most of her life. When Gloria got sick, Esther was her full time carer and guardian. They were extremely close.
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Years ago, Esther had a stroke and she lost the use of her left arm. To paint, she can only use her right hand, navigating between holding the paint brush and moving paint pots.
