October 2025

Connecting to Country

Expressing yourself through your art. Because all you’ve got is expressing yourself through art and connecting to Country.

I was watching my sister paint, and she told me to paint. I thought, I don’t know how to paint or anything. Then I thought about my father, why he painted, and how he was thinking about his birthplace and Country.

The colours bloom too when you see them firsthand on Country. And when we go to Country, I see everything and try to remember it—all the colours, I take it in.

Now, when I paint, I’m thinking about my old people and how they walked down from the Walmajarri area towards the Western Desert.

Untitled

Red Sands, hills and mud flats

This painting is about the red desert sand in The Great Sandy Desert the hills and the mudflats. I love the colours of the desert.

This painting shows the Artists Grandfathers country where they used to walk around in circles searching for bush tucker and water from the waterholes. When our ancestors came out from the Canning Stock route, they used to see big mob of sand dunes and flowers.

Untitled

Red Sand and Hills – Bibianna

This painting is about the red desert sand in The Great Sandy Desert and the hills. I love the colours of the desert.

This painting shows the Artists Grandfathers country where they used to walk around in circles searching for bush tucker and water from the waterholes. When our ancestors came out from the Canning Stock route, they used to see big mob of sand dunes and flowers.

Tracks

This painting is about waterholes in the desert where the old people used to walk from water hole to water hole in the canning Stock Route area. All the colours represent all the different wildflowers and the brown is the sand dunes. The circles represent different water holes.

After Rain

This painting is about the red desert sand in The Great Sandy Desert and the hills. I love the colours of the desert.

This painting shows the Artists Grandfathers country where they used to walk around in circles searching for bush tucker and water from the waterholes. When our ancestors came out from the Canning Stock route, they used to see big mob of sand dunes and flowers.

Mangala Country

“My painting is a landscape of my father’s Country, Mangala Country. The running river (Jila) and all the dots are rocks and green grass. Blue one Stream with the green grass and white rocks. I have been there a couple of years ago with our people, the Mangala. We went to go see the Country, and it cleared and opened my mind. I felt happy and sad at the same time. I felt the spirit around the Country.”

-Veronica Yanawana

Mangala Country lies at the top of the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia. It is a vast landscape of red sand, spinifex, waterholes and salt lakes. This Country holds strong stories, and for Veronica, painting it is a way of keeping her connection alive and sharing her father’s Country with others.

Wirnpa Area

It’s all about back home, all through Wirnpa in the Percival lakes regions. Back and forwards in the hunting ground and passing through the big hills. Meeting other family in that area to where my great grandfather was walking through and my Nanna Yikartu Bumba, she was there then back in the old days when old lady Weaver Jack was there. I see Yikartu painting, it is a similar area but different style.  I am always inspired by her, she tells us a lot of stories from back home when she was young and hunting all around that area. Weaver Jack was also telling me lots of stories for that area, she was a good artist, I call her like a daughter (Martu way).

All through Wirnpa in the Percival lakes regions. Back and forwards in the hunting ground and passing through the big hills. Meeting other family in that area to.

Pinarti (seed)

“It’s a seed and you can you use it to make necklace. We made it on a wanti (women) camp.” – Jenny Butt