Biography:
Elaine was a bush baby, born in the traditional way, close to a rock hole. Her father was a Donegan and she is sister to Pantjiti Mary McLean. Elaine lived most of her life in Papulankutja, close to her brother Jimmy Donegan, a senior Law Man and artist. Elaine is now in aged care in Wanarn community visited regularly by her family.
Elaine remembers when walking country as a child when there were no blankets, no hospital, just ashes to keep to warm. she attended Warburton Mission school where she met her husband Paddy Lane. Later they moved to Papulankutja (Blackstone).
She first began making baskets and animal sculptures in 1995. She has always made outstanding baskets and in 1999 she first started to experiment with animal sculptures. Elaine has travelled to Perth with the touring exhibition, Manguri Weaving, opened the exhibition and gave a workshop at the Fremantle Arts Centre.
Elaine was part of the team of women from Blackstone who made the full sized grass toyota that won the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) in 2005.
Elaine used to experiment with natural bush dyes for her baskets and paints country around Blackstone, her work reflects the seasons, using the wonderful colours that surround her every day of her life. Many layers overlapping and melding together, expressing the texture and flow of the land.
