July 2024

Bush Tucker – Maisie Petyarre Bundey;-

Bush Tucker – Maisie Petyarre Bundey;-

My Country – Diane Kemarre Ross

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint ‘altyerr’ dreaming stories. The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

“This is my country, it’s the country around Irrultja. This is where we like to go after big rain. After big rain there, we can go swimming. There is always good hunting on my country. It is good for me to paint my country and it makes me feel good.” – Dianne

Bush Tucker – Maisie Petyarre Bundey;-

My Fathers Seed Dreaming – Lulu Teece

“Before my father died, he told me and my sister, that if we ever painted, he wanted us to paint his dreaming. His dreaming is the seed dreaming, from his country. I paint that story, it’s important. That’s why i always paint the seed dreaming.”- Lulu Teece

Lulu has a strong passion for bush medicine and provides the community with traditional bush medicine that she makes through facilities provided by the clinic.

This painting is a strong depiction of connection to culture, family and country.

Bush Flowers

The artists of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint ‘altyerr’ dreaming stories. The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

These bush flowers grow seasonly in Alyawarr country, some of which are also used in bush medicine remedies.

“When I go out hunting, I like to see all the bush flowers that are flowering and then when I come back, I paint them.”

Summer Bush Tucker

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint ‘altyerr’ dreaming stories. The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

This painting depicts the bush foods that are found in Alyawarr country, the land of the people of Ampilatwatja, during the Summer months. Bush tomatoes “kedgadrr” and bush bananas “il quarldrr” are especially bountiful at this time of year.

Communicating bush foods through painting is an important way of teaching younger generations and maintaining a strong culture.

Great Grandmothers Country – Gunderson Kemarre Lewis

I paint my Great Grandmothers country around Canteen Creek.  Long time ago she hunted around this soakage in this country.   When I paint, I paint that country, the soakage the bushflowers the sandhills and the distant mountains.  I hunt this country now.

View Of Country

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint ‘altyerr’ dreaming stories, the artists paint their country where those stories sit.

This painting shows the layered landscape of Alyawarr, Central Australia. Knowing your country is an important part of living in a remote community like Ampilatwatja. Knowing when and where to go hunting and gathering, knowing where there is ‘soakage’ (where you can dig for water), travelling with family for ceremonies, and maintaining a connection with the land.

“This is my country, my view of country.”

My Country Antarrengeny – Lilly Morton Kemarre

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint ‘altyerr’ dreaming stories. The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

Lilly has painted her country, Antarrengeny. The brightly coloured flowers and small bushes are bush medicine and are still used within the community.

Lilly’s landscapes beautifully communicate the rich knowledge she possesses of both medicinal plants and country, the heart of her culture.

As a young girl, Lilly lived traditionally off of the land with her family and Alyawarr people. In Lilly’s lifetime, she has experienced and borne witness to the irreversible changes of country and way of life, that were previously unchanged for thousands of years.
She is a kind and gentle elder of the community and often tells stories of how life used to be, in Alywarre, her language, to her family and friends. These stories are also a great inspiration for many of the artists within the community.

Lilly is passionate about nature, especially her country and the plants that grow on it, and though she has little English, she is keen to explain the various bush medicines which she depicts in her paintings.