Artists of Ampilatwatja

Kathleen Nanima Rambler – Arlweye Ampere (My Fathers Country)

I paint the country of my Father and Mother and where they grew up, near Barrow Creek.

This is the painting of my Father’s country, where I grew up. When we would go hunting, we always climbed those hills. We would take the kids hunting too and take photos of the hills.

I use bright colours and beautiful attention to detail expresses the love and joy that I have for the country closest to my heart.

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

Leanne Pula Teece – Arrweneng (Bush Passion Flower)

Wild passionfruit – passion flower, grows on our country Antarrengenye (unda ra ninya).

Arrweneng (bush passion flower) comes after the rain on our land. Passion flower is a beautiful purple flower; it grows on a tree. Once the tree flowers, it grows a fruit, we gather these once the fruit is ripe. We mash the berries in our hand and the sugars comes out, we eat it and it is sweet and delicious like honey

Joyanne Pitjara Morton – Atyenh Artna Arnernp (My Bush Medicine)

“Bush medicine plants are used for healing on the body and for drinking. We make this by grinding the plants with a rock, we use the juice and the fibre of the plant.

We collect bush medicine plants when we are out hunting. Different kinds of plants grow during different seasons.

There are lots of different medicines, we know what their stories are, we learnt them from our parents and we teach these stories to our children.”

Bush medicine knowledge is still strong in Ampilatwatja, it continues to be passed down to the younger generations and is widely used.


When the women go hunting they often gather bush medicine. The plants depicted here are found in the country around Ampilatwatja, they are used for soothing skin infections and to make a drink to help with colds and coughs.


Painting bush medicine stories is important because it helps to maintain a strong knowledge and culture for the community.

Jacinta Pula Morrison – Atyenh Amer Areyel Amper (My View of Country)

This painting shows the layered landscape of Alyawarr, Central Australia. Knowing your country is an important part of living in a remote community like Ampilatwatja. Knowing when and where to go hunting and gathering, knowing where there is ‘soakage’ (where you can dig for water), travelling with family for ceremonies, and maintaining a connection with the land.

“This is my country, my view of country.”

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

Maisie Petyarre Bundey – Artna Tyap (Bush Tucker)

Maisie Petyarre Bundey – Artna Tyap (Bush Tucker)

Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney – My Grandmothers Country

I still hunt my Grand Mothers country for goanna, bush medicine and yams.

I hunt all year round, hunting and walking through the country makes me happy.  When I look at the distant hills I can feel my grandmother.  Bush flowers are everywhere.

Painting and printing my grandmother’s country reminds about those times.

Dimensions: 30 x 30 cm Lino Print – Charcoal S/H 300gsm

Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney – My Grandmothers Country

I still hunt my Grand Mothers country for goanna, bush medicine and yams.

I hunt all year round, hunting and walking through the country makes me happy.  When I look at the distant hills I can feel my grandmother.  Bush flowers are everywhere.

Painting and printing my grandmother’s country reminds about those times.

Dimensions: 30 x 30 cm Lino Print – Charcoal S/H 300gsm

Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney – My Grandmothers Country

I still hunt my Grand Mothers country for goanna, bush medicine and yams.

I hunt all year round, hunting and walking through the country makes me happy.  When I look at the distant hills I can feel my grandmother.  Bush flowers are everywhere.

Painting and printing my grandmother’s country reminds about those times.

Dimensions: 30 x 30 cm Lino Print – Charcoal S/H 300gsm

Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney – After the Bushfire

This is the soakage (place to dig to find water) after the bushfire, made by a lightning strike. It burnt the grass down, then the rain came and the grass grows sweet and new. The kangaroos come out for the new grass, so we can go hunting for kangaroos and goannas, it is easy hunting because the land is bare of bush and we can see them

Dimensions: 122 x 76 cm Acrylic on Heavy Weight Linen