Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation

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Wind, Bats & Flowers

This painting depicts wind, bats, and flowers. Wind is shown as “v” shaped marks, while the flowers are five white dots with an inner coloured dot. Bats, a common yet noisy sight around Beswick are also visible on a separate panel.

Painting has been completed using a handmade Jarlk grass reed brush harvested from local billabongs and wet areas. Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of multiple lines before alternating colours. This raark is only visible on the bats, however the Jarlk brush has been used for all fine line work. Modern acrylic paint has been used.

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GuGu – Sugarbag Story

This painting depicts Woolybutt tree gum nuts about to flower. These flowers are a beautiful orange colour and visible partway through the dry season in Arnhem Land. Both the nuts and flowers are an indicator species to let people know that gugu (pronounced Ku-Ku) or sugar bag is ready for harvesting.

Gugu is a highly prized find, and this story is Harry’s mother’s story of which he is Djungai or “ritual policeman” for.

Painting has been completed using a handmade Jarlk brush harvested from local billabongs and wet areas. Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of multiple lines before alternating colour.

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Tasty Feed

This painting depicts “gudwan dagga” or tasty tucker gathered from a local billabong. All are delicious slow cooked on hot coals, usually wrapped in paperbark. At top is a filesnake, below this is a catfish. Another filesnake is present, while at the bottom is a barramundi.

Painting has been completed using a handmade grass reed brush called Jarlk. Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of multiple lines before alternating colour.

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Crocodile Nesting

This stark contrast painting depicts a mating pair of freshwater crocodiles protecting their nest of eggs. Included are waterlily plants along with their root yams.

Painting has been completed using a handmade grass reed brush called Jarlk. Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of multiple lines before alternating colour. Modern acrylic paint has been used.

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Three Fish

This painting depicts three fish found in local billabongs around Beswick. Included are barramundi and a catfish, along side some lily plants.

Painting has been completed using a handmade grass reed brush called Jarlk. Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of multiple lines before alternating colour. Modern acrylic paint has been used.

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Four Catfish

This painting depicts four catfish, a tasty haul of fish. Catfish are wrapped in paperbark and cooked slowly in the coals of a fire. Once cooked it tastes very similar to purchased smoked salmon; slightly smokey, slightly oily, and oh so sweet. Not a fish to turn your nose up at!

Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of multiple lines before alternating colours. This has been completed using a handmade Jarlk grass reed brush harvested from local billabongs and wet areas. Painting has been done using modern acrylic paints.

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Diving Birds

This painting depicts multiple diving birds swimming among waterlilies.

Painting has been completed using a mixture of modern paintbrushes as well as a handmade grass reed brush called Jarlk. Stippling effect on the body of the birds uses the end of the modern brush, while the fine white outlines uses the Jarlk brush.

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Filesnake Eggs

This painting depicts two file snakes, one protecting its clutch of eggs. Also visible are barramundi fingerlings. File snakes are a common water snake found in local billabongs. They are harmless and very tasty when cooked in coals.

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Status: Stock

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Turtles & Dilly Bags by Revonna Lane

“My picnic blanket design shows the water lily fruits and stems, the long and short pods, you can eat it fresh or cook it on the fire to make damper. Back then, my mum would peel it off and let it dry out in sun on a paper bark bowl, pop out the seeds and grind it with a rock. The stems you can peel off the skin and eat like celery or use it like straw.

There are three types of bags which the women make, string bag to carry tools, dilly bags they carry around their head to collect bush food and tightly woven baskets to carry water. You can see the long and short neck turtle, we find them in the rivers and billabongs. Just back from the billabong, is where we collect their eggs to eat.”

Based on original artwork by Revonna and designed in Wugularr / Beswick, Arnhem Land, NT. 

Size 170 x 140cm. 

Made from neoprene wetsuit material that is quick dry, repels sand, sticks, and grasses whilst being insulating and waterproof. It can provide protection from the wet ground, and shelter you from wind and rain. You can even wrap up your wet gear in it. To clean, hose it down or rinse off after use, dry in shade.

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Yams

This painting depicts three water lilyroot yams, with a water strider visible second from the right.

Painting has been completed using a handmade grass reed brush called Jarlk. Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of multiple lines before alternating colour. Modern acrylic paint has been used.