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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Kindy Kemarre Ross – Arlekamern (Waterhole) Irrultja

When you look from top of the hill at Irrultja you can see the arlekamern (waterhole). Irrultja is my father’s country, it is my country. I used to swim in the waterhole when I was little. I think it is beautiful. I feel happy when I see my country, it is where the wildflowers grow, that is what I paint and it makes me feel nice

 

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Michelle Pula Holmes – Kwenkart (Mulga Fuchsia)

After the rain we go and cut the bush medicine for flu. We boil it and drink it when we got flu and sore throat.

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Yvonne Ngwarraye Bonney – My Hunting Country

Yvonne has painted her favourite hunting country after rain. “This is when the storm ants come and make the goannas nice and fat, the ground is soft for digging honey ants and it’s when the bush foods and grasses come up and grow strong. The country is normally bare with small stones and rocks everywhere, but after rain, everything comes alive.”

Yvonne is a tremendous hunter, she is skilled in reading tracks and reading the land. Painting hunting country is important and special to her. 

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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Julieanne Ngwarraye Morton – Alpeyt Alpeyt (Flowers Blooming)

Walking across my land to look for bush flowers and goanna. I bring home to make medicine for my family and cook the goanna for dinner.  Goanna is my favourite to eat.

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

Beverly paints her Mother’s country. When Beverly was a child her mother took her all around her country and showed her the bush medicine and bush tucker.

The knowledge of the bush plants has been handed down through generation to generation and Beverly still spends time hunting and collecting bush medicine plants to use in everyday life.  Taught by her mother and grand mother, Beverly also sings the songs of the bush medicine plants. 

Beverly’s paintings are joyous and full of information regarding bush medicine plants.

The artists 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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Denise Ngwarraye Bonney – Tijamburra, My Grandmothers Country

This is my Mothers Mothers country, out near Canteen Creek, we go hunting for wild onions, goannas, echidnas and sugar bag honey in the trees. I like to hunt in my country, there is water all year round even if it looks dry, we follow the bird tracks to know where to dig and then we find water.

This painting is after rain, many grasses are out, but the riverbed is still sandy.

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Sabrina Pitjara Morton – Artna Alperr (Bush Leaves)

I love to look at the land and bush leaves. My mother paints, her name is Lucy Pula Luck and my Aunties Beverly Pula Luck, Jessie Pula Luck and Juliet Ngwarraye Morton all paint, they are great painters and I want to paint with them and learn. Bush medicine leaves are my favorite to look at. White flowers, leaves and bush tucker – this is what I want to show in my paintings.

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Maisie Petyarre Bundey – Anhelengkw (Emu) Dreaming

Anhelengkw (emu) dreaming is the breast body painting depicting the story of the mother emu who runs away and leaves the father emu to look after the eggs until they hatch, he then raises the chicks.

This story is passed down through Maisie’s family and celebrated in dance.

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Gunderson Kemarre Lewis – Great Grandmothers Country

I paint my Great Grandmothers country around Canteen Creek. Long time ago she hunted around this soakage in this country. When I paint, I paint that country, the soakage the bushflowers the sandhills and the distant mountains.

I hunt this country now.

Dimensions: 107 x 76 cm Acrylic on Linen