September 2025

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Alana Ngwarraye Holmes – My Country

I was born in Ali Curung, my father was Cigarette George, he was a drover and my Mother is Edie Kemarre Holmes.  My mother taught me to paint, I watched her when I was small, she is an important artist who was involved in the Utopia Batik movement and now paints at Ampilatwatja.  I spent my childhood around Murray Downs.

My paintings are influenced by my Fathers country. I was taught to hunt bush tucker, sugar bags, Kangaroo and Goanna when I was little.

I travel to my Mothers country on Antarrengeny outstation and I teach my kids and grandchildren to go hunting. 

I like to get busy on painting, it feels good.

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

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Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney – My Grandmothers Country

I still hunt my Grand Mothers country for goanna, bush medicine and yams.

I hunt all year round, hunting and walking through the country makes me happy.  When I look at the distant hills I can feel my grandmother.  Bush flowers are everywhere.

Painting and printing my grandmother’s country reminds about those times.

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Kathleen Nanima Rambler – Creek Bed Running

When you fly over my country looking down after the rain you can see the river beds running like snakes slithering through the land, everything looks like patches of green with the spinifex and sacred trees, and the beautiful blue of the water refreshing the land and the dry river beds

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Yvonne Ngwarraye Bonney – My Hunting Country

Yvonne has painted her favourite hunting country after rain. “This is when the storm ants come and make the goannas nice and fat, the ground is soft for digging honey ants and it’s when the bush foods and grasses come up and grow strong. The country is normally bare with small stones and rocks everywhere, but after rain, everything comes alive.”

Yvonne is a tremendous hunter, she is skilled in reading tracks and reading the land. Painting hunting country is important and special to her. 

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

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Michelle Pula Holmes – My Country

When I go out hunting I always like to see the colour in the trees, the light, the dark and the bush medicine plants growing on the sand hills. The colours change at sunrise and sunset. I like hunting and seeing my country.

I love to paint since childhood. My paintings show my deep love for my country and the beauty I see.

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