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Claypans and Spinifex

“This painting is about the claypans and spinifex in the dry season time, when spinifex, the native plants and the Country gets dry. When the rain comes it makes the Country green again. Some animals love dry season for hunting. Sometimes we go hunting for animals for our families.

We pull out the whole plant, roots and all and then we twist it around to make a flat basket (jitatu) like a donut ring. Then this sits on the head and you can carry water for example. The water is in a kapara like a shallow bowl which you make from the hard wood of a tree like parntal (Owenia reticulata, desert walnut).”
 – Edward Badal

This artwork honours Nyangumarta Country — from the long sweep of Eighty Mile Beach and coastal flats to the rolling sand dunes and salt lakes of the Great Sandy Desert. It holds the movement between saltwater and desert: tides, reefs and mangroves to the west; dunes, claypans and waterholes to the east.

Lines flow like wind across spinifex and waves in the ocean; dots gather where waters sit after rain; colours shift from deep blues to desert reds and whites of saltpan. The painting also reflects the ongoing work of Nyangumarta families and rangers to look after Country — sea and land — guided by community plans and Indigenous Protected Area management.

Categories: Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community LaGrange Inc

Name: Edward Badal

Language: Nyangamarta

Community: Bidyadanga

Biography:

“I was born in Broome hospital, WA in the late seventies. I went to Lagrange school, then to Nulungu College to further my education and went back to Lagrange. In the late 2000's I came interested in painting my old peoples’ Country. Me, I like doing dot painting. It's about culture, land and people. Sometimes I go out with the rangers to look after Country and sometimes it heals all of us being out on Country. The painting I do is sand dunes and claypans. Me, I use desert colours in my paintings, that represent the desert. My Mother and my Grandmother are Nyangumarta and my Father’s side is Mangala Side. Both of my Grandmothers were born in the desert Country, they both grew me up in the old camp here in Bidyadanga.”
– Edward Badal

Edward’s work has been recognised across regional Western Australia. He won Best Overall Artwork in the Shinju Art Awards two years in a row, participated in Radius 6.0 at the Courthouse Gallery+Studio in Port Hedland, and exhibited alongside Bibianna Tumbler in a two-person show at Redbill Studio+Gallery in Broome in 2025.

Alongside his art practice, Edward works as a Nyangumarta Ranger, caring for Country through traditional knowledge and land management. His time on Country informs his paintings — observing fire, water, animal tracks, claypans and spinifex — and strengthens the deep cultural connection that underpins his work.

Beyond his paintings, Edward advocates for mental health and plays an important mentoring role at the Art Centre, often encouraging younger people and family members to paint. His presence and passion for culture continue to inspire others in the community to share their own stories through painting

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