Thama (fire) and jinda (charcoal): When you get the marruwa (snakewood) and make fire, you see it burning, burning, burning. After the fire burns the wood becomes black, jinda (charcoal). And then the ash comes. Marruwa is the best stick to burn because it burns so hot.This is fire burning with ashes after.
This painting shows the many waterholes you find in the Pilbara region. Some are well known, others are hidden amongst the hills.
Dimensions: 38 x 58cm
The purple Mulla Mulla, called Gumbarli in Yindjibarndi. It’s a bright purple flower that grows all over our Country, lining the roads and spreading wide after the seasons change. I love seeing this strong colour across the land when it comes into bloom.
Dimensions: 29 x94cm
Dimensions: 77 x 94 cm
In this painting I have depicted the pods of a shrub which is common in the Pilbara area. It is a smallish bush which comes into seed in September, when the Emu is visible in the Milky Way. This is the time the emu chicks hatch and it is one of their main sources of food. When the pod opens the parent emus feed the little black seeds to their chicks. The seed pod, which is about the size and the shape of a cockroach, turns from orange to yellow, so when all the bushes are in pod at different stages, there is a brilliant display of orange and yellow colours throughout the country. The official name of this annual shrub is Senna notabilis, but, due to the oblong, flat shape and the glossy golden brown colour of its pods, it is known commonly as Cockroach Bush. It has a little round fruit, a berry, that starts of green and turns red when it is ripe, but it’s poisonous. The shrub starts off as a light green colour and then, as it matures, it gets darker. The flowers are a yellowy orange and they, too, get darker with a bit of black as they are fading away.
Dimensions: 60 x 30cm
This painting reminds me of when we go camping out bush we always camp out in the flat where we can see the stars shining.
In our country we have many hills of all different shapes and sizes. When driving through country at different times the colours change and some of the hills look like velvet in the evening and morning light .
Dimensions: 60.5 x 91.5 cm
The Pilbara is where my ancestors come from. The Yindjibarndi and Ngarluma people. There are many things that inspire me like the red hills and dirt, the many beautiful fresh water swimming holes, the rivers and creeks connected to them and the vibrant colours of the wildflowers that grow across the country side scattered amongst the spinifex and trees.
When we see sea turtles in the water, we watch them carefully. Sometimes they jump up out of the ocean and splash back down. This tells us they are getting ready to mate. Our people know that when this happens, the turtles will soon go to the beach to lay their eggs. Sea turtles are important to us. They are part of our stories and our culture. Some of our people collect the eggs and sometimes hunt the turtles, always with respect and only taking what is needed. The turtles teach us to watch, listen, and care for the sea.
After the rain the rivers and creeks in our Country comes alive with a new growth of plants. The landscape is filled with beautiful colours. We rejoice looking at our rivers and creeks full of water, so that we can go fishing, kids can go swimming and we can picnic with our families and friends.
Dimensions: 77 x 91 cm