Name: Janice Sandy
Language: Yindjibarndi
Biography:
Janice was born in 1970 at the Roebourne Reserve. Part of the Stolen Generation, she was taken as a baby to a hostel in Perth and wasn’t able to return to her Country until 1982. When she returned at twelve, her first language was English. She started learning her Yindjibarndi language when she lived with her grandmother in Roebourne. She attended primary school in Roebourne, Year 8 at the Roebourne Primary School, Year 9 at the Roebourne Development School, and Year 10 at Wickham District High School. Janice liked drawing at school, using colours and painting. When she came to Yinjaa-Barni Art in 2006 she found it hard to paint at first. Her style gradually developed, taking inspiration from colours and patterns of Country and what she observed:
"I learnt to look at all sorts of different art and how different artists expressed themselves. Then one day I was sitting in the art centre at the back of the church and something just came to me. My eyes just fell onto the animals, onto the patterns on the animals, and I felt I could use those patterns as a base for paintings. I have gradually learnt to communicate with the colours, to integrate animal and land colours that symbolize our paintings, that tie back to our Elders, to their stories and to how proud were about their Country. I love using really bright colours. And I love painting: it makes me relax and takes all the stress out."
Janice tries lots of different materials in her work: sponges, different size brushes, etc to bring out a variety of patterns. Janice has two sons, and a daughter, and is the youngest sister of Allery and Aileen Sandy.
Country Bluebells The Country Bluebell is one of the common flowers growing on the edges of the river bank and around the edge of hillsides. It also grows in open plains country.
Springflowers This artwork shows the flowers blooming in the Spring, showing it’s beauty. There are sturt peas, mulla mulla and bluebells.
Millstream Emily is one of Yinjaa-Barni Art’s emerging artists. Emily painted this artwork after returning to Country on an art centre camp to Millstream. She collected natural pigments from Millstream crossing and ground the rock Read more…