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Published by CompNet Systems on

My Grandfather’s Country

This painting depicts Sharon’s Grandfather’s Country, located within Witjira National Park near the border of the Northern Territory and South Australia, just south of Finke. The area is rich with waterholes, trees, and salt lakes — a beautiful place full of life.

Sharon first saw her Grandfather’s Country from above during a small plane flight over Aputula in 2008. From that moment, she began painting the landscape from memory, experimenting with the forms and patterns she observed from the air. Her paintings map the surface of Aputula, tracing the movement of rivers, salt pans, and desert features with intricate topographical detail. Through this process, Sharon expresses a deep emotional and cultural connection to her family’s land.

Categories: Papulankutja Artists

Name: Sharon Doolan

Language: Pitjantjara

Community: Blackstone

Biography:

Sharon Doolan is a young artist who works with Papulankutja Artists, based in Blackstone — a remote community near the Gibson Desert in Western Australia. Her paintings reflect her deep connection to her Grandfather’s Country, Aputula (Finke), situated on the border of the Northern Territory and South Australia.

Born in Alice Springs and raised in Aputula, Sharon moved to Blackstone in 2008 with her partner and young family. Around this time, she took a small plane flight over Aputula and saw the intricate patterns of rivers, salt lakes, and desert country from above. This aerial perspective became a defining influence on her art practice.

Sharon’s paintings map the surface of Aputula from memory, capturing the movement of watercourses, salt pans, and the textures of the desert landscape. Her work blends a topographical precision with a deep emotional connection to place.

Alongside her art practice, Sharon works for the Blackstone Home and Community Care (HACC) program, helping prepare and deliver meals to elderly community members.

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