Lot 76
Lily Kelly Napangadi attributed
Tali Sandhills 2006
Acrylic on canvas
77 x 62cm
Unsigned
Exhibited Artery Gallery, Sydney
Condition Excellent
Estimate $3,000 - $5,000

Lot 77
Nellie Gordon (c.1930-)
Sturt Creek - The Start of the Wet 1999
Natural ochres & pigments on canvas
60 x 45cm
Inscribed verso KP652
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

Birthplace Billiluna Language Walmajarri Domicile Emu Creek, Kununurra WA. Eastern Kimberley Region.

Title Sturt Creek – Start of the Wet. This painting depicts country on Sturt Creek near Lake Gregory (Barragoo) in the Great Sandy Desert. When the monsoonal rains come the Sturt Creek floods. The small circular shapes in the centre are grass islands. The white area around the edge of the painting is the flood water at the beginning of the wet season starting to fill the many waterholes. The artist describes this water as ‘milk water’ dirty water washed down from the dry creek beds.

Nellie paints topographical landscapes of her home country and the many places she and her late husband have seen, as well as beautiful depictions of women’s ceremony sites – always with a paint brush in one hand and ‘a cuppa tea and biscuits’ close by.

SOLD

Lot 78
Nora Nagarra (c.1935-)
Rjal Country Turner River 2004
Natural ochres & pigments on canvas
80 x 60cm
Inscribed verso Warmun Art Centre WAC 587/04
Exhibited Warmun Art Centre WAC 2004
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

East Kimberly region. Second tier artist. Demonstrates how work can be viewed carta logically, as in flying over in aeroplane or horizontally, or combination of both, the bungle bungle hill shapes with creeks and pathways in strips in between.

Nora was born and raised at Turner Station in WA near the NT border. As a young girl she worked on the station performing domestic tasks and then moved into Halls Creek in the 1960’s when government intervention forced Aboriginals to leave stations. It was at Halls Creek that she started to paint. Her country is the subject of her paintings. This work is made up of dots of varying ochre colours and she has captured the contours of her country in the rhythmic patterns made up of these marks.

Warmun Arts Centre

SOLD

Lot 79
Lena Nyadbi (c1936)
Guragul Gundagunn(mother & Child-two rocks) 1999
Natural ochres & pigments on canvas
45 x 60cm
Inscribed verso Warmun Art Centre WAC 179/99 and Red Rock Art (Kununurra WA KP601
Exhibited Warmun Art Centre WAC 1999
Condition Excellent
Estimate $800 - $1,200

Catalogue Details

After a leaving leprosarium, got better approx. 2006-8 and travelled to Paris to paint directly on the roof of the Musee du quai Branly, chosen as one of the significant artists to represent Australia. Ceramic mosaic outside the entrance, her works copied onto the ceilings in main foyer and bookshop.

Lena was born near Warnmarnjulugun lagoon in WA. Like other young girls, Lena was put to domestic work on a station from a young age. She began painting at the Warun Arts Centre at it’s inception in 1998 and she has developed an international reputation as an original and dynamic painter.

Warmun Arts Centre

Lot 80
Nancy Carnegie (1952-)
Kirritj 2007
Acrylic on canvas
152 x 76cm
Inscribed verso Kayili Artists WA 07/008
Condition Excellent
Estimate $2,800 - $3,500

Catalogue Details

Kayili Artist Western Desert Region WA. Has exhibited 2007 Western Desert Mob, William Mora Galleries Melbourne. Represented in collections including Artbank, James McCourt, Marshall, Kelton Foundation. This is a painting of country, sacred sites and songlines all interconnected.

Lot 81
Tommy Mitchell (1943-2013)
Wati Tjukurrpa 2007
Acrylic on canvas
101 x 76cm
Inscribed verso Warakurna Artists WA 516/07, Marshall Arts, Adelaide
Exhibited Warakurna Artists WA 2007, Marshall Arts, Adelaide
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

Language Ngaayatjarra Skin Karimarra Birthplace near Papulankutja

Tommy Mitchell was born in the dessert the Warakurna side of Papulankutja, a small community Central East, WA, work acquired through the from the Warakurna Artists, a local community arts co-op. Ref to painting ‘Wati Tjukurrpa’ “Too many lakes this side of Ngaturn, there are clan pans there. It’s a business place, nothing more can be said” as explained by Mr Mitchell.

His country was Ngaturn and Walu. He was a senior lawman and major painter with Warakurna Arts. Mitchell’s paintings depict the Tjkurrpa (dreamings) and stories of his mother’s and father’s country, which he has passed down to his children. Tjukurrpa is the core of desert tradition and expresses the larger spiritual and social dimension of the life of Aboriginal people.

SOLD

Lot 82
Bai Bai Napangarti (1939-)
(Untitled) 2002
Acrylic on canvas
110.8 x 35.6cm
Inscribed verso Yanda Art, Alice Springs BBN200210
Exhibited Yanda Art, Alice Springs 2002
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

Eastern Kimberly.

Bai Bai is a senior law woman at Balgo who spent her childhood and early adult life journeying through her family’s land learning traditional culture and law. For cultural reasons she has travelled extensively and in 1989 she danced at the Shinju Matsuri Festival in Perth. She started to paint in 1986.

SOLD

Lot 83
Elizabeth Nyumi Nungarrayi (1945-)
Parwalla 2000
Acrylic on linen
60 x 45cm
Inscribed verso Warlayirti Artists,Balgo WA 960/00
Exhibited Bett Gallery 2001
Condition Excellent
Estimate $2,400 - $3,000

Catalogue Details

From Balgo, northern. The work Parwalla has a distinctive texture, where the artist has chewed on the wooden end of the paint brush, then wait till the paint is partly dry and apply with a put on/ pull off technique. She is a major figure in Western Desert Art and demands people bring her paint.

She grew up with her family group in their land, walking the Canning Stock Route as a teenager and into the old mission. She trained as a domestic worker, working on stations around the region and began painting in 1987, emerging as a leading artist in the 1990’s. Nyumi focuses on culture and dance and is enthusiastic on passing these attributes onto children, ensuring traditional dances and songs are kept alive by the next generation.

Lot 84
Nola and Coiley Campbell
Kapitu Kapitu 2006
Acrylic on canvas
101 x 76cm
Inscribed verso Kayili Artists WA 06/281
Exhibited Marshall Arts SA 2006
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

A collaborative piece between husband and wife who had an unusually strong bond and travelled together in both men’s land and womens land. With his reducing eyesight, Nola became more involved with the in fill fields, developed further to doing more of the design and work. This painting Kapitu Kapitu perhaps demonstrates ‘his’ central black circle with blended colour, which differs from the other circles of solid colour.

SOLD

Lot 85
Mati (Brigid) Mudjidell (1935-2002)
Yaiyarr 1991
Acrylic on canvas
120 x 60cm
Inscribed verso Warlayirti Artists 481/91, Bett Gallery, Hobart, Private collection
Exhibited Warlayirti Artists 481/91, Bett Gallery, Hobart, Private collection
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

Warlayirti Artist

Born at Wuru, south of Yaka Yaka in WA. She was one of the senior elders and dancers at Balgo. She lived a traditional life in the bush until her family moved into the old Balgo Mission.

Mudgidell was involved in several publications, such as Yarrtji: Six Women's Stories from the Great Sandy Desert (1997, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra), which was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's History Awards in 1998.

In 2002, shortly before her death, Mati's work was featured in a two-person exhibition at Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery, Sydney.

SOLD

Lot 86
Kuntjil Cooper (c1920-2010)
Minima Kutara 2005
Acrylic on canvas
136 x 57cm
Inscribed verso Irrunytju Arts WA 05001, Vivian Anderson Melbourne, Private collection
Exhibited Vivian Anderson Gallery, Melbourne 2005
Condition Excellent
Estimate $2,700 - $3,500

Catalogue Details

Kuntjil Cooper was born near the Irrunytju waterhole and paints her country. Minima Kutjara is one of the most important women’s creation stories of the Western and Southern Desert and is a special story for Irrunytju. It tells the story of a difficult journey by two sisters who travelled through these vast lands. They travelled north for the older sister to introduce the younger to her family. They walked and walked and walked, only stopping to dance and sing and to hunt and sleep. The little sister was frightened. She cried and the older sister carried her on her back and told her stories to assuage her fears. The places the sisters journeyed and rested can be traced through the desert with their actions creating landmarks – rock holes and mountains. Near Irrunytju the sisters sat on two mountains and in preparation for important women’s business threw their digging stick which created the waterhole there.

AGWA
NGV

Irrunytju Artist

Lot 87
Tjunkayi Napaltjari (1930-)
Umari 2001
Acrylic on canvas
107 x 28cm
Inscribed verso Papunya Tula Artists TN9911155, Framed Galler, Darwin, Private collection
Exhibited Papunya Tula Artists TN9911155, Framed Galler, Darwin
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

Papunya Tula Artists. Umari, 107 x 28cm demonstrates a typical standard shape of canvas that could be viewed vertically or horizontally, and was designed to be manageable size to work while sitting on ground.

A well known artist who was involved in the ‘Minyma Tjukurrpa Project’ and became one of the principal painters at Kintore.

SOLD

Lot 88
Karli Davis
Kurlpuruu 2006
Acrylic on canvas
90 x 60cm
Inscribed verso Spinifex Arts Project SA C354
Exhibited Spinifex Arts Project SA
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

Southern end Tamani, near Great Australian Bight. A senior artist, where knowledge gives authority, one of Spinifex Arts Project, which came into prominence with their first exhibition in 2003, work initially fairly rough but developed quickly and his work is highly sought after. Kurlpuruu, demonstrates typical male motifs, solid, not heavily layered, compared to women’s painting which is often multi layered. Painting shows rock holes and paths/ songlines that lead between with country or sand hills between the lines.

SOLD

Lot 89
Anmanari Brown (1930-)
Minima Tjuta Tjukurrpa 2005
Acrylic on canvas
103 x 107cm
Inscribed verso Irrunytju Arts WA 05154
Exhibited Marshall Arts Adelaide 2005 - 2006
Condition Excellent
Estimate $5,000 - $6,600

Catalogue Details

After a traditional, nomadic upbringing in the bush with her family she moved to the then Christian mission of Warburton in the 1950’s. She began painting in 2000 and her work, which mixes modern painting techniques with ancient designs and cultural law, is now held in the collections of the Australian National Gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Queensland Art Gallery. This work is a representation of the Seven Sisters Dreaming. The scared Seven Sisters were being chased by the unwelcome attentions of a man so they hid and ran away. He tracked them and chased them across the desert. He is chasing them still where they can be seen today in the evening sky, still running.

Lot 90
Tjaparti Bates (c1933-)
Kungkarrakalpa Tjukurrpa 2006
Acrylic on canvas
101 x 101cm
Inscribed verso Warakurna Artist WA 798/06
Exhibited Marshall Arts Adelaide 2006
Condition Excellent
Estimate $3,600 - $4,800

Catalogue Details

Also known as ‘Miss Bates’ she was born in the east Gibson Desert, Western Australia and has been painting since the early 1990’s. She paints important stories from her mother and father’s country for Warakurna Artists.

This colourful and bold work tells the story of the ‘7 Sisters Dreaming’ – this is the star cluster known in western civilisations as ‘Pleiades’ which is easily observed from central Australia. This star group rises just above the horizon soon after sunset and keeps a low trajectory above the horizon. Because of this, every evening the 7 sisters who are being pursued by the unwelcome attentions of a man from a different skin group, and is as such forbidden to marry any of the girls, in their quest to run away seem to launch themselves from the land and into the night sky to be pursued by the man, represented by a star from Orion’s belt cluster. Stories associated with the stars and night skies carry meanings which probe deeply into the law and culture and social structures of the Aboriginal people.

Lot 91
Mary Gibson (1952-)
Piki 2007
Acrylic on canvas
101 x 76cm
Inscribed verso Kayili Artists WA 07/025, Adelaide Gallery, Private collection
Exhibited Marshall Arts Adelaide 2007
Condition Excellent
Estimate $2,300 - $2,800

Catalogue Details

Kayili Artist WA Painting Pilki represents one of the lakes and sand dunes around it, motif is usually a male one however woman can use if they are co-owners of the territory. This is a typical motif of a lake and has been painted in a very feminine way with small, fine threadlike dots. Queensland Art Gallery

Lot 92
Nyurpaya Nelson
Irrunytju 2004
Acrylic on canvas
95 x 99cm
Inscribed verso Ninuku Artists SA NKUNN04346
Exhibited Marshall Arts Adelaide 2007
Condition Excellent
Estimate $2,000 - $2,500

Catalogue Details

Ninuka Artist SA. Unusual work in that it demonstrates the artist using her fingertip to apply paint, and not changed sticks when using sticks to create muted and subtle mixed tones. Freedom of expression.

Irrunytju is located close to tri state border of NT/WA/SA border in the Wingellina Hills. The landscape is arid, dry and very remote.

Lot 93
Nyumitja Laidlaw (1934-)
Untitled 1993
Acrylic on canvas
169 x 156cm
Inscribed verso Tjuluru Warburton Arts Project TJU.WARB.1193
Exhibited Tineriba Gallery Hahndorf 2008
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

Born at Nyumun in Great Victoria Desert, she is closely connected to the Tjuntuntjarra people. She now lives and paints in Warbuton. Nyumitja is still teaching the young women the stories of her mother and the ceremonies that she knows, and often travels out bush and on long trips to visit sites, sing songs and tell stories.

Group Exhibitions 1993 Yarnangu Ngaanya-Our land Our Body, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts.
S.H Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2003 Trust, Tjulyuru Regional Arts Centre, Warburton
Nampa Kuwarringkatja, New Works from Ngaanyatjarra Artist, Tjulyuru, Regional Arts Gallery, Warburton
Collections Warburton Community Collection

SOLD

Lot 94
Jack Britten (c1920-2002)
Purnululu (Bungle-Bungles) 1999
Natural ochres & pigments on canvas
30 x 40cm
Inscribed verso Kimberley Art,Melb N-0994-JB-A
Exhibited Kimberley Art, Melbourne 2204
Condition Excellent
Estimate $1,200 - $1,500

Catalogue Details

This important early Kimberley painter was a legendary stockman whose inspiration as a painter began later in life. As a senior elder, his repertoire of the myths and legends of the Dreamtime was endless and provided a firm base for his visual and descriptive canvasses. Until his death in 2002 he was direct in the line of succession of traditional owners of he Bungle Bungles. This work is a simple representation in natural ochres of the Bungle Bungles – one of the most striking landscapes in Australia.

Lot 95
George Ward Tjungurrayi (c1945-)
Tingari Tjukurrpa 2007
Acrylic on canvas
152 x 51cm
Inscribed verso Warakurna Artists WA 705/07, Marshall Arts, Adelaide, Private collection
Exhibited Warakurna Artists WA 705/07, Marshall Arts, 2007, Adelaide
Condition Excellent

Catalogue Details

Warakurna Artist WA

Painting Tingari Tjukurrpa presents a typical male work with red circles representing ceremonial sites, rock holes and songlines connecting. Work done while visiting West Warrakurna.

Tingari dreaming embodies a vast series of songlines, locations and events that cross the Western Desert region of Australia. Weir, Barbara

Having no contact with colonists until his teenage years, George then moved to the government settlement of Papunya where he worked briefly as a fencer and butcher in the community kitchen. From there he and his wife and children relocated to Warburton , Warakurna and then Kintore. He is a senior desert man who lives deeply involved in its law. Over time, George has developed his own distinctive style with rapid, shaking dots which produce a shimmering surface.

NGV
Artbank
AGSA
Museum of Victoria
Supreme Court of NT, Darwin

SOLD