Symbols in her artwork represent awelye (women's body paint), anemangkerr (bush melons) and an old waterhole symbol that is found etched into the rocks at Anthep; a sacred women's site on her mother's country, Atnwengerrp.
Born in 1932, Motorbike Paddy is the senior boss man of Ahalpere country (in Utopia) and plays a significant role in how the artists of this area depict their Dreamings. He himself uses a common Ahalpere technique of superimposed dotting, as well as symbols and loose illustrations to articulate his Dreaming stories. He is not a prolific artist and paints very slowly and deliberately.
In his early days, he worked as a Stockman rounding up horses and bullocks to drove into Alice Springs. He was married to the late Kathleen Ngale, a prominent Utopia artist, who passed away in 2021 and together they had four children.
The Telstra NATSIAA is the longest running Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art award in Australia, and is a celebration of culture, artistic practice and connection to Country.
Winners will be announced on 11 August and all works will be exhibited at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory on Larrakia Country (Darwin) thereafter.
Finalists have been announced for the 2023 Telstra NATSIAA and our very own Motorbike Paddy Ngale, Ahalpere elder, is one of 31 from the Northern Territory.
]]>Artist, friend, family, boss woman, leader, mentor, pioneer. Utopia will never be the same. Barbara was one of the strongest women we knew, and we pray her spirit will guard and protect her family and the people of Utopia as she did in life.
Sending love to all her loved ones.
]]>Artist, friend, family, boss woman, leader, mentor, pioneer. Utopia will never be the same. Barbara was one of the strongest women we knew, and we pray her spirit will guard and protect her family and the people of Utopia as she did in life.
Sending love to all her loved ones.
]]>Pictured above: Polly Ngale with her granddaughter Doreen Kunoth
]]>Lena's brother Cowboy Loy, a fellow Utopia elder and artist, also passed away recently and sorry business for him is currently under way. His death was due to complications with covid-19. Cowboy was a stockman for much of his life, and a strong leader in his community who will be missed.
We express our condolences to Lena and Cowboy's families.
]]>5 Nov 21 - 16 Jan 22
]]>There used to be a little camp next to the Utopia health clinic, a few hours north of Alice Springs, called Jeannie's camp. A stack of abandoned cars blocked it from view of the road but it was there. It made sense for Jeannie to live close to the clinic because she is a ngangker - a bush doctor or healer.
She lives in Alice Springs now but it doesn't stop people travelling the distance to see her. At any hour. And she always has a supply of bush medicine made and ready.
Today she shows me some ilpengk ointment she has made and stored in an old milk powder tin. It looks like a yellowed balm and has a strong menthol smell.
Laid out in front of her is a painting she is working on, with several coloured paint pots that accidentally coordinate well with her blouse and blanket. She is, of course, an expert colourist.
Jeannie has been painting for years and has spent a lot of time with Ahalpere elder Lena Pwerle. She also remembers being around when Emily Kame Kngwarreye, her mother's aunt, was painting three decades ago.
Her graceful handling of a paintbrush makes her experience that much more evident, as she delicately dips a paint brush into three or four different coloured pots before gliding it across the black canvas creating a series of disjointed stripes.
These stripes, she says, are 'anaty' and the colours often remind her of its flowers.
Anaty is the Desert Yam; a root vegetable that can grow so large in the bush that it was considered a staple bush food. Its big, magenta coloured flowers help the people know where to dig.
Jeannie still loves to travel out to Utopia and collect anaty, and dine on food the bush provides. The anaty is also special to the people of Irrwelty, Jeannie's country, in northern Utopia where its Dreaming story belongs.
There are nine beautiful Desert Yam paintings by this ngangker, Jeannie Mills, in her 2021 solo exhibition 🤍
View paintings by Jeannie Mills Pwerle »
]]>
Learn more about this Australian icon.
]]>Sitting at the foot of a large canvas laid out on the concrete porch of her granddaughter's house, Gloria sits cross legged ready to paint.
There is a whole support team around her ready to get her what she needs. And they're standing by to make sure the looming dust storm doesn’t interfere.
Gloria wants to be outside though, not confined to the indoors.
The small brick house attached to the porch has been Gloria's residence for some time. It’s nestled in an outer suburb of Alice Springs some 250km from her homelands.
Living in a centralised area suits Gloria.
Gloria grew up in Central Australia's remote Utopia region but moved away decades ago. Bright city lights and dazzling new experiences appealed to her. But most of all she sought freedom to explore and make her own choices independent of the community. She loves telling stories of her travels to far off cities and countries for her art.
For years she encountered significant pressure to return to Utopia but she remained true to her spirit.
Gloria paints with these same convictions. With confidence, freedom and is willing to go where no one else has gone before. It is the kind of leadership the Utopia art movement was built on.
Gloria recalls painting a football for the Sydney Swans, having a Hermes scarf designed with her artwork, and painting with (new) toilet brushes to explore her art. Not to mention, she was also the first Indigenous Australian artist to win the Wynne Prize, a major art prize for the best Australian landscape at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Pictured above with Emily Kame Kngwarreye in the 1990's.
Gloria also paints from the heart, and can always be found singing while she paints.
“She’s singing about family. About her brothers and sisters, mum and dad.” Esther, Gloria's granddaughter, says.
Born in 1945 to a respected elder of Atnangkere country, Gloria has seven sisters and comes from a big family. She also lives with two great grand children, and a great great grandchild.
Other times, Gloria will sing about country, or about the Arnkerrthe, a small thorny but gentle lizard who created the Dreamtime for her people. Or about awelye (women's ceremony).
Sometimes she'll even start talking in song.
Gloria is a special 2020 exhibition showcasing fifteen beautiful and quintessential Leaves paintings by this Australian icon.
10 July - 20 Sept 2020
Gloria's quintessential paintings, the pieces she is most revered for and also proud of, are her Leaves paintings.
Back when Gloria first started painting Leaves in the mid 90’s, it was different to anything else anyone was painting.
Though quite by mistake, it was a new approach to painting and it became a turning point for Aboriginal art.
Gloria's classic Leaves paintings are those made with a small brush. Leaves are meticulously crafted with small, swift brush strokes, usually in singular or distinct layers.
For the past 10-20 years, Gloria has largely painted a big bold leaf in a study of colour layered upon layer.
Gloria is known to have attributed many of her paintings to leaves with medicinal properties.
It was her mother who taught her how to make a medicinal ointment from these leaves.
"Mum was taking the kangaroo fat, and echidna [fat]. We been mixing 'em up".
Gloria's mum would take fat from kangaroos and echidnas and mix it with crushed medicinal leaves.
The ointment was applied to their face and their hair so that its powerful aroma would linger and aid in the relief of colds.
This 90cm x 90cm painting by Betty Mbitjana beats to its own rhythm. Both striking and simple in black and white, it will humbly work in many spaces, bringing a sense of elegance, awe and meaning.
The patterns and symbols map significant sites on Atnwengerrp country, Betty's mother’s country, as well as Awelye (women’s ceremonial body paint designs) and ancestral dancing tracks as they can still be seen today, etched in the rocks at Anthep.
Anthep is an ancestral place that remains the most significant site on Atnwengerrp country. Ceremony and dance are still performed there and it is a place where everyone - men, women and children - can meet together and camp. It is also a place where permanent water can be found.
]]>Now 72, Dolly wants you to know she's not finished yet and has been working on something special after a long hiatus.
]]>Now 72, Dolly wants you to know she's not finished yet and has been working on something special after a long hiatus.
Her new works reveal superimposed dotting in circles and lines, layered upon each other, working their way across the canvas to depict elements of the Pencil Yam Dreaming.
We have just two pieces but hope to see more by Dolly in the coming months.
Born in 1948, Dolly is an Anmatyerre woman from the Utopia region in remote Central Australia. As an artist, she participated in the batik project Utopia A Picture Story in the 1980's and began painting soon after it's completion. Dolly's works have been exhibited extensively, most notably with World Vision in the 1990's.
Dolly's family include Greeny Purvis Petyarre (brother), Jeannie Mills Pwerle daughter), and the illustrious Emily Kame Kngwarreye (aunt).
Dolly paints kame; pencil yam seeds.
In the Dreamtime, there are two parts to the Pencil Yam story. Two different kame were borne that created two different species of pencil yam; one called Atnwelarr and the other called Arlatyeye. Atnwelarr belongs to Dolly's country Alhalkere.
]]>My Country opens on Sunday 26th January however you can subscribe now to receive a preview (and chance to buy exhibition artwork via a private link) on Saturday 25th.
]]>My Country opens on Sunday 26th January however you can subscribe now to receive a preview (and chance to buy exhibition artwork via a private link) on Saturday 25th.
To see where the money raised is going, head to our donate page which links to a number of organisations working to support the efforts of our heroes and help those in need. Every dollar counts.
Thank you for your emails and concerns about us. We are safe from the bushfires and fortunately our artists live in a large part of Australia that is unaffected.
We thank you for your generosity, and mostly the firefighters and volunteers who risk their lives and do so much to help save lives.
Coming in second was Lena Pwerle's Australian Soakage.
View Top Ten →
]]>We've pulled together the ten most viewed (and available to purchase) paintings of 2019.
Paintings that have the most views rarely last online long before they find their new home. (So if you're in love with any of these pieces consider making it yours soon 🖤)
No 10. Soakage by Lena Pwerle | 120cm x 90cm
Here we have a beautiful Lena Pwerle at number ten. This painting is one of few pieces left in a small series Lena painted in forest green and umber. It's serene and tranquil with an aesthetically pleasing structure, and no wonder it has made this year's list.
No 9. Anaty (Desert Yam) by Jeannie Mills Pwerle | 210cm x 90cm
We're excited this oversized painting by Jeannie Mills Pwerle, a ngangker (traditional healer), has made this list. (And if it's not on this list next year it will be because it has found a worthy wall to call home.)
There is a beautiful flow of movement that appears to travel off the canvas and into the surrounding space, and the colours carry the full spectrum of the outback. Worthy of another look or two (or more)...
No 8. Leaves by Gloria Petyarre | 45cm x 45cm
Five of Gloria Petyarre's top ten artworks sold at auction have been those painted in her original small-leaf style like this piece. And for such a small painting, this piece makes a big impact. There is a great rhythm and movement and, not only are the colours vibrant and fresh, according to the colour wheel these primary colours are complimentary. No wonder this piece continues to draw people back for another look.
No 7. Anwekety by Kathleen Ngale | 120cm x 90cm
Featured in our last exhibition, Desert Dots IV exhibition, this painting was completed in 2007 and is a superb rendition of Kathleen's best work. Watery white and crimson pink dots are grounded by honied earthy tones.
This piece is loved by everyone who sees it and not surprisingly has made 2019's list of top ten.
No 6. Wild Flowers by Sacha Long Petyarre | 180cm x 90cm
This piece was the key feature in our Winter 2019 collection, painted in Ash Pink and Titanium White, and remains a Utopia Lane favourite. A beautiful, high quality rendition of Sacha Long's Wild Flowers.
No 5. Atham-areny by Angelina Ngale | 120cm x 45cm
Angelina uses an evocative combination of pastel shades to illustrate the Atham-areny story which belongs to her country, Ahalpere. A perfect size to fit many walls.
No 4. Bush Medicine Leaves by Abie Loy Kemarre | 120cm x 60cm
Abie Loy's pastel coloured Bush Medicine Leaves painting was featured in our Enchanted exhibition last summer and had it's own feature (on just how incredible it is).
No 3. Conkerberry by Polly Ngale | 90cm x 90cm
This superimposed dot painting by Polly Ngale in a palette evocative of a dazzling sunset is no surprise to find high on this list.
Delight your senses by taking another look at this piece, if you haven't already...
No 2. Australian Soakage by Lena Pwerle | 90cm x 90cm
This piece has consistently been loved every month this year but is yet to find its forever home. This Lena Pwerle painting combines Matisse's Ash Pink, Southern Ocean Blue and Australian Sienna on a black background.
No 1. Arwengerrp (Bush Turkey) by Rosie Pwerle | 120cm x 45cm
This fine dot painting by Rosie Pwerle of Utopia was viewed by more people around the world than any other in 2019.
With complimentary colours Australian Salmon Gum and Southern Ocean Blue, this fine dot piece was painted painstakingly with a bamboo satay stick.
To Rosie, who lives a traditional life in Australia's remote Utopia region, the bush turkey is sacred and patterns in this painting translate elements of the Bush Turkey Dreaming.
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We've examined the stats on our top searches and most viewed artworks of 2019 and are excited to share the results with you ⭐
Here we've pulled together the top ten paintings that were viewed the most in 2019 (and are currently available).
Paintings that have the most views rarely last online long before they find their new home. (So if you're in love with any of these pieces consider making it yours soon ♥)
Lena Pwerle's paintings have remained the most sought after paintings; finding more new homes than any other artist in 2019 (despite no new releases during the year).
Don't own a Lena yet? There are still works available...
Most viewed artist?
Gloria Petyarre wins this honour.
Followed by Lena Pwerle, Minnie Pwerle, Jeannie Mills and Polly Ngale.
The subjects you were most interested to learn about?
Top Styles
And the most popular styles...Molly Pwerle is an Australian Aboriginal artist aged in her 90's from a hard-to-reach remote community in Central Australia. And she loves to paint. With some help we've been able to ethically source these beautiful paintings.
Molly lives with her sisters and other women in a communal humpy on the outskirts of a small settlement in northern Utopia.
She began painting in 2004 in a workshop with her sisters Geyla, Emily and Minnie Pwerle. Her paintings depict her dreaming, Anemangkerr, and the associated ceremonial elements (Awelye).
Anemangkerr is a large bush tomato commonly referred to as bush melon. Its seeds are discarded and the fruit eaten. It grows in northern Utopia, near Molly's home, and is favoured for its exceptional keeping qualities.
Selina Teece Pwerle's latest body of works depict her country, Antarrengeny, in remote Central Australia.
The works are influenced by the artists of Antarrengeny who paint the land rather than a Dreaming. And Selina is proud to paint the landscape and honour her country in this way.
Her country is where her Dreamings belong, a land that has provided for her people, and the land where she grew up. Ghost gums are plentiful and distinctive in the landscape, as are wattles, spinifex, Mulga trees, and termite mounds.
Sometimes Selina's landscape paintings are flush with colour; saturated with the hue of a thousand wild flowers, and other times explore the neutrals of the land; when water levels are low and temperatures soar.
Selina's skies attempt to mimic the magic of Central Australia's beauty, whether it is a searing mid-summer blue, a glowing indigo twilight or by casting the shadows of a magenta drenched dusk. That is, if acrylics could come close to revealing the sheer spectacle of a real-life Central Australian sunset.
Antarrengeny lies less than a thirty minute drive north of Utopia where Selina lives now with her husband and their two children, and she makes the short trip north to "see her family and hunt for goanna", she says.
This land has provided Selina's people with food, water, shelter and medicine, and when Selina was growing up living off the land was essential.
Born in 1977 Selina grew up when many Aboriginal men worked as stockmen on nearby cattle stations and Aboriginal women were employed as domestic hands in exchange for rations and clothing. Cultural rituals and ceremonies were strong. Selina's aunts would take her out on the land and teach her how to hunt and collect bush food. Anything caught or harvested was taken back to share.
Selina was brought into a world changing, and one where artistic ventures were stirring. In the same year as her birth, a series of government sponsored workshops were brought to the remote region of Utopia to teach the Aboriginal people the art of batik. Selina's mother, Lulu Teece Petyarre, was part of the Utopia Women's Batik Group which had established the following year.
Selina learnt to paint both by watching and with the careful instruction given by her mother and other women and this fueled her strong desire to pursue a creative career when she was older.
Since the sale of her first work, Selina's paintings have been varied in style. From fine dot work to strong, bold ceremonial designs to experimentation and trend setting with different brush patterns. Her My Country works prove she has great versatility as an artist and an intuitive sense of country innately expressed in her work.
All phone cases are tough cases that come with a lifetime guarantee. They are a print of an original painting and the artist receives royalties on each Desert Doll sale. Details.
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Motorbike Paddy Ngale was on his porch with his wife Kathleen, son Matthew Mpetyane and two other men when we pulled into their community. We had just travelled 2.5 hours to visit them. The region is very remote and hard to access.
It was a particularly cool morning. A small fire was going on the porch and the smell of cooked meat and fresh bread lingered in the air.
Our appearance triggered some excitement and the men disappeared inside the house as we approached. Their heads kept poking out from the door telling us to 'wait' and not leave.
When they reappeared, Motorbike was holding a large work in progress, measuring about 150cm x 90cm. The linen dropped into a curl at the ends where it had been rolled up and put away while not working on it.
Unlike his recent works where strings of dots fill the canvas, this piece featured crude illustrations of people, animals and vehicles. The people appeared unclothed and the ochre and crimson colours had blended into the white backdrop staining the silhouettes with a mysterious and shadowy inflection.
All eyes were on us awaiting our reaction.
Very intrigued, I didn't hesitate to ask about the story evidently unfolding.
‘The kadaitcha man’ Motorbike said. He was both casual and direct.
A kadaitcha man is a lore enforcer and a much-feared, often secret person, and still in practice in this part of the country. I knew enough that I shifted my eyes and whispered the words back to him so no one else would hear. ‘Kadaitcha man?'
‘Yep’ he said back.
Motorbike talked about the kadaitcha man quite openly, although we only talked about it in the context of his painting. His daughter Elizabeth Mpetyane joined us and was working on a small dot painting next to him. She didn’t seem to mind the topic of conversation.
Motorbike laughed several times at how quiet I spoke whenever I asked a question.
‘What is the kadaitcha man wearing?’
‘Feather boots’.
Authentic kadaitcha boots are comprised of emu feathers and human hair and worn to leave no trace. When not in use it is said they would be wrapped up and hidden in a sacred place. At a cultural centre in Alice Springs there used to be a pair on display and I remember many Aboriginal women would avoid that section, or the centre altogether.
Motorbike's answers were mostly short and concise.
He pointed out the kadaitcha men in the painting - there were more than one - and they were illustrated differently to others. In addition to wearing feather boots they were holding emu feathers behind their backs while they were walking. Some carried a spear.
Other people were painted sitting on motorbikes, several at the one time I note, and he laughed when he spoke of them. Others were walking around hunting for kangaroo but I was told they weren’t the ones the kadaitcha man was looking for. He was looking for the 'bad ones' which were painted in pink.
I spent the next couple of hours watching Motorbike work on a small piece. (Sadly both pieces are still incomplete but you can view his only available artwork here – Conkerberry by Motorbike Paddy).
Matthew and the other men had long left, but Elizabeth was still sitting with us. His wife Kathleen Ngale had also inched her way over to me where I sat on a small box, and held my hand almost the entire time. Kathleen is in her mid 80's and now blind. I removed myself from her grip only when I needed to get up and carry out any studio assistant duties for Motorbike.
Motorbike is a friendly and open Anmatyerre man. He used to work as a stockman in the Utopia region many years ago rounding up horses and bullocks to drove into Alice Springs. As a painter he is not prolific but we look forward to seeing his new works complete soon and sharing them with you.
]]>A rare and insightful talk with this award winning and enigmatic artist.
Dale: Did anyone teach you about the bush medicine, that alpeyt?
Gloria: Mum. Long time. Mum was taking them kangaroo fat and echidna fat. We been mixing them up.
Dale: What did you do with the alpeyt? Crush it?
Gloria: Mm, yew and do this. [gestures over her face and head]
Dale: So was it bush medicine?
Gloria: We didn’t grow up with lollies, soft drink, nothing. We grow up with bush tucker. Ntang seed and ntyerrm, corkwood and rock [muffled]. And yam and sugarbag. Kangaroo, Emu, Turkey, Goanna, Echidna. We been living with that one.
Dale: Back to this alpeyt, bush medicine.
Gloria: Yew yew, alpeyt.
Dale: Why do you put it on your hair?
Gloria: Make it smell, for colds.
Dale: I got it, kind of like Vicks, where you put it on your chest for the smell?
Gloria: Yeah like Vicks. Yeah!
]]>Here are direct links to some of their amazing content:
Video: Lena Pwerle and Anna Price Petyarre treating warts
Video: Pansy McLeod making a medicinal drink from the leaves of a bush plum
Slideshow of women making ilpengk. Voice over by Lena Pwerle and Rosie Kunoth Kngwarreye. Ilpengk leaves are collected, crushed and boiled to make a bush medicine. Dorrie Jones paints this bush medicine and her work is featured in Bush Medicine Exhibition.
Animation: Healing fat. A combination of awelye (women's ceremony) and topical treatment (made of animal fat and ilpengk) to heal the sick.
Video: Making bush shampoo. A bush ‘cosmetic’ rather than a medicine, but this video was produced by young women at Utopia as part of the Bush Medicine Project.
]]>A short video of artist Dorrie Jones talking with Utopia Lane about high school students making bush medicine for distribution in this decentralised Central Australian region.
Learn more about ilpengk bush medicine in our 2019 exhibition Bush Medicine.
]]>
For example, black and white artwork with bold patterns like this painting Betty Mpetyane's My Mother's Country suits a rustic theme.
Fine patterns like Alhelpalh Flower by Audrey Morton Kngwarreye can bring calm and elegance to a coloured space.
See Tips for Decorating with Green.
Black and white is a perfect, timeless choice if you are buying a gift, or a great place to start if you are undecided on what to buy for your space.
New black and white paintings have arrived with works by Betty Mbitjana, Audrey Morton Kngwarreye, Sandra Jones Petyarre and Ruby Morton Kngwarreye.
]]>This short video will give you a glimpse of what's its like behind the scenes and in the 'studio'.
After seeing some old YouTube videos our senior curator Dale Jennings made years ago, Sylvaria Jones (pictured) instructed us to make more. As obliged, that's what we've done.
A note from Dale:
I was sitting with a group of women who were painting at one of the main outstations when a young woman named Silvaria Jones came over and recognised me from some YouTube videos I made years ago.
I used to have an old FlipVideo camera then and loved getting footage to put together of my trips, as well as clips of artists talking about their work. These trips are always so special to me and I think people should see where the artwork comes from and also know how genuine the whole experience is and how the artists are so keen to really share their culture and have their artwork adored by someone.
Sylvaria told me I had to do one of this trip.
]]>
It is located in a remote area of Central Australia with mostly dirt roads that are unmarked and ungraded. Communities are situated 30-60 min drives apart.
]]>It is located in a remote area of Central Australia with mostly dirt roads that are unmarked and ungraded. Communities are situated 30-60 min drives apart.
On a recent visit the roads were became so muddy and slippery the further north we went that one road was impassable. It was flooded from side to side and as far up the road as we could see.
There were tyre tracks leading into the bush on the left, indicating it had been wet like this for awhile and passers-by had made many arbitrary routes just to get through.
We watched as a single sedan come through the bush unimpeded (our timing was impeccable as these roads are not heavily trafficked) and it was enough to lift our confidence. We took the challenge.
Once we started down that track, we just had to power through and hope for the best.
]]>This is where we go to work with the artists living there.
Their studios can be anything from porches to empty living rooms, under the shelter of a dedicated tree (with boxes of paints and rolls of canvas shelved in the tree branches) or within the environmental protection of a humpy.
]]>This is where we go to work with the artists living there.
Their studios can be anything from porches to empty living rooms, under the shelter of a dedicated tree (with boxes of paints and rolls of canvas shelved in the tree branches) or within the environmental protection of a humpy.
Often work is done by an open fire and exposed to all the elements. This means the paintings may come with a greater sense of authenticity (such as dirt, ash or even paw prints).
But the artists are shrewd to apply the best possible studio set up for themselves.
The priority is to protect the painting from anything that could significantly smudge the work they have done. Acrylics are used for this reason so the paint dries quickly.
Wind breaks are one of the first things to set up - usually made from bits of corrugated tin. Rocks and heavy objects are set on the edges of the canvas to anchor it from the wind.
Height is an advantage to keep the wet painting away from little wandering feet or paws. Anything from empty bed frames, to cushions to planks of wood set up on flour drums are used.
Blankets are a necessary part of every studio both for comfort, because every artist here without exception paints on the ground, and keep dirt off the back of the painting. Paintings are rolled away when they're not being worked on so if the backs are covered in dirt, it will be transferred to the painting.
Black paint is an essential component of every paint box for those inevitable smudges - those that can be fixed. But on many occasion unexpected mishaps will form part of the painting in some way.
Some refined artisans like Colleen Wallace Nungari, where every dot or design is carefully and painstakingly applied with sticks or bottles with fine nibs, will avoid smudges at all costs and their studios will reflect that. Dinny Kunoth Kemarre likes to paint in an empty shed free of wind and distractions.
Other artists create art as though the paintbrush is translating their wisdom directly and hypnotically. Still, there is an element of looking back at the painting and working artistically with it - working in a new colour for example like Lena Pwerle will do, or finding those spots that are missing paint like Polly Ngale who likes to fill up every part of the background.
For a glimpse of what's its like behind the scenes and in the 'studio' watch this short collection of video clips ♥
]]>Bush Medicine presents a collection of illustrative works imparting tribal wisdom on a selection of bush medicines, and demonstrates how they are still an important practice today.
There are many different types of bush medicines found in Utopia. Some plants, like ilpengk, are crushed, mixed with fat and applied to the skin. Others are boiled and inhaled, slowly chewed, or occasionally drunk. Some saps are directly smeared on the skin, and there are barks that are smoked. Healing rituals are also an important part of bush medicine, especially when the ailment is considered to be caused by the supernatural.
WHEN: Friday 24th May - Sunday 4th August 2019
FEATURED ARTISTS: Dorrie Jones, Patsy Long, Katie Kemarre, Abie Loy Kemarre, Gloria Petyarre, Doreen Kunoth, Topsy Jones and Angelina Ngale.
Wishing Lena well and a full recovery.
]]>"Colleen told us about a sacred site on her country where Dreamtime Sisters are carved on the rock walls, and on these walls this is what they look like."
]]>Colleen painted this piece after a conversation about the way she illustrates the Dreamtime Sisters. We've talked about it many times before and know that the Dreamtime Sisters were once living people; Colleen's ancestors. They appear elongated and elegant in her paintings, and are always holding ceremonial fabric in which they use to dance with.
We also know Colleen was taught that they appear this way by her Aunt who gave her special permission to paint them, but we hoped to look a little deeper at where this actually comes from.
Learn more about the Dreamtime Sisters in our article: Exploring Colleen Wallace Nungari's Dreamtime Sisters painting.
The simple answer: Colleen told us about a sacred site on her country where Dreamtime Sisters are carved on the rock walls, and on these walls this is what they look like.
The location of the site is both sacred and secret, only known to her countrywomen, but Colleen worked the site into the symbolic detail of this painting so she could show us.
In the centre, just above the tall Dreamtime Sister, there is a long decorated oval flanked by U shaped symbols. The oval represents the sacred site and the U shapes are women singing and dancing there.
"That's the sacred site. Where the ladies, where they're gonna have ceremony."
The women are performing ceremony for Arlatyeye, a pencil yam, and its seed. This is the only ceremony they have at this site.
It is night time when they have their ceremony and Colleen says it is the reason the dots in the background are darker colours around the site.
"This the night time. Dancing. Singing, dancing."
Warm, bright coloured sections are symbolic of day time.
"..is the day time, where the women go hunting for...or digging for...the arlatyeye."
Women digging for arlatyeye
Women are represented in the day time, again as U shape symbols, digging for arlatyeye.
Next to them are coolamons (dishes with curved sides) that have arlatyeyes inside them.
"This is the coolamon where they put their food, like arlatyeyes".
The decorated circles are symbolic of waterholes scattered over the country or where the women dig for arlatyeye.
"Some waterholes, and ones where they dig, um, arlatyeye."
The two leaf designs at the bottom of the painting represent arlatyeye leaves which grow on vines that flourish above ground after rain.
The Dreamtime Sisters are called Iliparinja. They are ancestral spirits who are always present; roaming the land performing sacred song and dance, looking after the country and guiding Colleen's people.
In this painting Colleen shows the Dreamtime Sisters being connected to the women and their ceremony through thick wavy lines. The connection is "in the air, like spiritually".
Each piece measures approximately 30cm x 21cm, depending on how each artist approached the space, and is designed to fit within A4 sized frames.
]]>Easily frame at home with our new A4 sized artworks.
Each piece measures approximately 30cm x 21cm, depending on how each artist approached the space, and is designed to fit within A4 sized frames.
A 6cm black canvas border on the artworks can be cut (or folded) to fit your frame, or use it to stretch over a frame if that is still your preference.
Have questions? Get in touch.
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