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Published by CompNet Systems on October 26, 2023

Living off the land – Bow River

In most of Kathy’s painting, the subject of her artwork depicts the country and landscapes of her mothers country called Bow River – which is also known to be called by its traditional name Juwulunji.

In this painting Kathy has painted her mother and father together out on Bow River country, as seen here there are two people seen within the middle of her artwork, they both hold what appears to be digging sticks ” In the old days they use to go out looking and digging for echidna’s”

Her mother is described to be the women who sits on the ground and her father is the one seen standing up. The small white dots located just above the heads are what Kathy has describe as “all the blowflies” she says that when they are about and hanging around – this is a sign that the hairyman is near and watching. “Njoongoony (hairyman) he jelous for everything there la that country”

Categories: WARMUN ART

Name: Kathy Ramsay

Language: English, Gija, Kimberley Kriol

Biography:

Kathy Ramsay is one of Warmun Art Centre's most prolific emerging artists carrying on the legacy of her artistic family. The daughter of artists Rammey and Mona Ramsay, and the granddaughter of the late Timmy Timms, Kathy only begun painting in 2013, yet has already been included in numerous group exhibitions and private collections across Australia and internationally. In 2015 Kathy was selected for Revealed, a biennial art event celebrating emerging Aboriginal artists in Western Australia. Kathy was born in Bow River.

Of her work Kathy says, "I only started painting in 2013. I like to join in and to be sharing a part of my Country. My mother and my grandfather always told us what this place means, what the names are, and all those Ngarranggarni (Dreaming) stories. Now, with all this painting, I'll be the one to tell them to my kids. I'm the mother of three sons, but I lost my oldest son in 2008. He was really strong in corroborree and culture, but my other sons, they carry it on too. They went to school in Warmun, and I worked in the childcare centre and cleaning and bits like that. Now I'm painting all the time. I just paint what my old people told me about our Country – because they are the ones who know the history of our Country, the Country we’re still connected to today. Our Country really knows us, and it owns us.”

In 2017, Kathy was a finalist in the John Fries Art Award, where she flew to Sydney to attend the opening night and celebrations. In her interview with the national broadcaster, the ABC, Kathy said "Everything is rolling in my mind, I can’t stop painting, I like to do it and bring it out through my heart, with the stories." Later on in 2018, Kathy was a finalist in the regional Hedland Art Award for her prominent painting depicting an in depth story about Juwulinji, often the subject in her paintings. Her ancestral Country is also known as Bow River, incorporating rich Ngarranggarni stories with recent histories of station life.

© the artist / art centre