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Dingo, Kangaroo + Man

Bernadette’s painted logs are often offcuts from mako or didjeridu manufacture. Rather than wasting the pieces or relegating them to the fire, Bernadette collects these, sands them smooth and then experiments with different painting techniques.

Painted using a combination of brushes; handmade traditional Jarlk grass reed brush harvested from local billabongs and wet areas, along with modern paintbrushes. Bernadette sometimes paints using a stippling effect (modern paintbrush), a modern panting style (fish using a modern brush for example), raark (fine line work using a jarlk brush), or dots (using the end of a jarlk brush).

Painted entirely using modern acrylic paints.

Categories: Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation

Name: Bernadette Rrumburra Foster

Language: Warlpiri, Yolngu, Waramungu

Community: Wugularr (Beswick)

Biography:

Bernadette is a very talented and multifaceted artist. She paints, carves, weaves, makes jewellery, and all while teaching important cultural and bush knowledge to youngsters. 

Bernadette was born in Alice Springs and raised in Ali Curung. She had a mum from Central Australia, and a father from Arnhem Land. Because of this she grew up between Ali Curung, Tenant Creek & Ngukkur, before moving to Yirrkala and now currently residing in Wugularr/Beswick. 

This transition between Central and Northern Australia means she has a diverse mix of cultural knowledge and art skills, straddling both dot painting and raark or fine line painting styles.

Bernadette learned to paint from her mother and her sisters in the traditional Central Australian dot painting style. She helped the old ladies to put holes in beans for jewellery, and then transitioned to help her mother with gum nut jewellery holes. Once older, and with confidence under her belt, she started creating her own seed jewellery art, selling in Yirrkala

Carving was a skill learned from her Dhuway (male brother-in-law). Raark or fine line painting was learned from her ex-partner. This painting style was done using a handmade paint brush crafted from straight hair. This important brush making skill was learned from her sister in law.

Weaving has been self taught, along with critical skills from Julie Ashley a master weaver here at Djilpin Arts.

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© the artist / art centre