Janet Long Nakamarra

96 X 80 cms Acrylics on Linen Canvas. Janet was born in Anninie, NT., living a traditional life with her family. She was taught by her aunts the traditional body paint designs for her Dreaming. Janet began to paint her traditional designs and Dreamings on canvas and board in 1989, when they became available in her community. She saw this as an important way of teaching people about her culture. In 2003 after a period of apprenticeship and women’s law she was given permission by the Warlpiri elders to paint stories about Ngapa (of Water Dreaming). In these paintings Janet depicts the underground water flow at Warntapari. It is a place where ceremonies are performed. In her paintings she uses traditional iconography to represent soakages in the land. Her paintings are detailed with intricate dotting which flows across the canvas. She uses a topographical view of the land to connect the water soakages and the travelling that her ancestors had to make to ensure their survival and access to water. COLLECTIONS: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Australian Embassy, New York, Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia.