Artists of Ampilatwatja

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Joyrene Ngwarraye Holmes – Ateralth Alpeyt (Wildflowers)

When I go hunting for aker arlkerl (echidna) around the sandhills of Ampilatwatja I always spot the wild flowers and honey flowers.  We tap the Bankias against our hand and get the honey, it is sweet to taste.

 After the rain and bushfires all the new flowers pop up around me. My favourite time of the year is winter when it is cooler to walk and hunt. 

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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Eileen Kemarre Bonney – Tijamburra, My Mothers Country

This is my mothers country, Tijamburra, we go hunting there for wild onions, goannas, echidnas and sugarbag honey in the trees. I like to hunt there, there’s water all year round. Even if it doesn’t look like there is, we follow the bird tracks to know where to dig and we find water.

From living here in the remote community of Ampilatwatja, going hunting out bush and traveling for family and ceremonies Eileen knows this land, her country.

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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Colleen Ngwarraye Morton – Awenhenheng (Old Lady with Nephews)

Awenhenheng (old lady with nephew’s). The old lady is walking with her nephew’s Alura [sic] and Artija [sic] to find soakage (where to find water). They find the soakage has dried up and they have no water, so they have to walk to another country. They are hunting for kangaroo with their dog Canjalo [sic] and the old lady carries a coolamon under her arm full of bush tucker.

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Daisy Kemarre Turner – Irrultja, My Country

I was born in Irrultja and I grew up with my mother, father and sister. My mother was the strong painter Rosie Ngwarraye Ross, and my grandmother Biddy Kemarre was a member of the Utopian Batik movement. My sister Margaret Kemarre Ross and my daughters, Rosemary, Desma and Danielle Ngwarraye Turner are all strong artists who paint and live in Ampilatwatja. We all paint the bright and beautiful wild flowers that grow here.

Irrultja is hill country and my mother and father took me hunting, we hunted kangaroo and goanna and cooked them in the fire in the shade of trees. We collected bush tucker and strong bush medicine – Arreth. We loved collecting the small delicious bush tomato and bush medicines to wash our hair and soothe our skin. I loved swimming and playing with my sister as a child.

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Robina Pitjara Jones – Atyenh Amper (My Country)

This is my country out in Utopia an outstation called Soapy Bore it’s  my Father’s country, there’s  big soakage, hills, bush medicine and bush tucker. All my family paint, my grandmother, my mother and aunties. I like to paint, I think about my country, the colours and my family who have gone.

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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Kiara Pula Ladd – Apmer (Land)

I am new to painting. I am a singer and I love to perform, I have a music video. My mum Robina Pitjara Jones and my dad Kelvin Kemarre Ladd are both great painters, and my dad is a singer too. I really like their work but I have my own style. I want to paint landscapes and I want to paint the colours that I see in my land.

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Lucy Pula Luck – Atyenh Amey Amper (My Mother’s Country)

I paint my Mother’s country. I travelled all around my country with my mother when I was child, my mother showed me the bush medicine and bush tucker.

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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Levina Pitjara Morton – Atyenh Amper (My Country)

When I paint, I think of the stories my Grandmother Lilly tells me of how she and her family used to live. Where they lived on her country as she was growing up and how they followed their mothers and their grandmothers.

When I go hunting with family for bush tucker and bush medicine it makes me think of Lilly’s stories, the way they used to live off the land, traditionally.
I paint those places my Grandmother tells me about, I paint how I imagine they were and the life they used to lead.

Levina’s fine dot technique requires a lot of time and patience, communicates the pride and passion she has for her paintings and her country.

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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Joyanne Pitjara Morton – Tharrkarr (Honey Grevillea)

Tharrkarr (honey grevilla) – these are in bloom across my country after the rains, the arlketh (white gum) also flower in the gum trees near where I live.

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Joyrene Ngwarraye Holmes – Alpeyt Penh Kwaty (Flowers After Rain)

The land is blooming with flowers after the rain. This is when I will go and collect the bush flowers for my home