Dreams & Dreaming
A chronological overview of Linda’s career from 1986 to present
by Russel Sims, BDSc. Ph.D (Linda’s Husband)
2003 Linda Syddick Napaltjarri (viscopy)
Prelude
Linda vividly remembers her step-father, Lankata Shorty Tjungurrayi, painting canvases
which he had made from the calico ration bags at Haasts Bluff Mission. He was using
natural ochres in the ancient tradition. The time would have been about 1945, soon after
the family arrived at Haasts Bluff from the Gibson Desert.
A chronological overview of Linda’s career from 1986 to present
by Russel Sims, BDSc. Ph.D (Linda’s Husband)
2003 Linda Syddick Napaltjarri (viscopy)
Prelude
Linda vividly remembers her step-father, Lankata Shorty Tjungurrayi, painting canvases
which he had made from the calico ration bags at Haasts Bluff Mission. He was using
natural ochres in the ancient tradition. The time would have been about 1945, soon after
the family arrived at Haasts Bluff from the Gibson Desert.
Later Lankata’s younger brother, Charlie Watame, began painting in the some fashion.
These two men were the first of the Pintubi people to paint on anything other than wooden
artefacts and bodies for ceremonies. Twenty seven years were to elapse before the men
at Papunya began painting boards, using acrylic paint, in 1972. Among them were
Lankata, Charlie Watame (uncle), Nosepeg Tjuperula (uncle), and Johnny Warungula
(Nosepeg’s cousin).
So, because he painted earlier than those men, Linda says: “My step-father was Number
One”. Lankata went on to become one of the leading painters of the Papunya Tula Art
Movement.
These two men were the first of the Pintubi people to paint on anything other than wooden
artefacts and bodies for ceremonies. Twenty seven years were to elapse before the men
at Papunya began painting boards, using acrylic paint, in 1972. Among them were
Lankata, Charlie Watame (uncle), Nosepeg Tjuperula (uncle), and Johnny Warungula
(Nosepeg’s cousin).
So, because he painted earlier than those men, Linda says: “My step-father was Number
One”. Lankata went on to become one of the leading painters of the Papunya Tula Art
Movement.
In contrast to her step-father, Linda did not do any painting until later in life. But Lankata
told her in 1983, “My daughter, after I have gone, you got to keep it going.” Meaning that
Linda was to paint his Dreamings and carry on his work into the next generation and
beyond. Lankata died in 1985.
1986 The Beginning
In this year, at Morris Soak Town Camp in Alice Springs, Linda was taught the art of dot
painting by two of her uncles. These men were Uta Uta Tjangala and Nosepeg Tjuperula.
As senior aboriginal men they allowed her to paint a Tingari Dreaming Story about
rainmaking at Waulkurritje Rock Hole near Lake MacKay. Using acrylic paint, she then
painted the two designs which her uncles had given her. These were done on small
canvas boards. She sold these around Alice Springs for small amounts of money. This
was Linda’s apprenticeship training.
1987
Linda joined the painting cooperative, Tjukurrpa, based at the Institute for Aboriginal
Development (IAD) in Alice Springs. It was funded and managed by IAD. The founding
members were Pansy Napangati and Pauline Nakamarra Woods. From then on the core
group consisted of Linda, Pansy, Pauline, Bessie Liddle, Kitty Miller and Eileen Boko. With
these ladies, Linda went on several painting and exhibition trips over the next two years.
These ladies went to Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Darwin and Melville
Island. These trips contributed to her arts education.
At IAD, Linda began her Tingari Story in larger format, on stretched canvases. She had
two designs, on rectangular and one diagonal.
Over the next two years Linda produced many paintings of these designs, which were sold
throughout Australia by Tjukurrpa.
1989
One day in this year Linda was thinking about the Christian stories which the Lutheran
Missionaries at Haasts Bluff taught her when she was a young girl. She had just
completed a Tingari painting using the rectangular design. As she looked at it, she could
see that by making small changes it would become a vertical, figurative painting,
representing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Linda called this painting “Crucifixion”. It was suggested by Dorothy, the coordinator of
Tjukurrpa, that Linda enter this painting in the prestigious Blake Prize for Religious Art.
She did this and the painting was selected to hang in the 1989 Blake Prize Exhibition. It
was short listed from more than 450 entries.
At the opening of the exhibition, Linda showed the second religious work she had done,
entitled “Three Wise Men” to her kinship brother, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. All the
people in the room stopped talking and looked at the painting. Linda was heartened by this
and over the next few months completed the quartet with “The Last Supper” and
“Ascension”. Over the next several years Linda had a total of seven religious works hung
in the Blake Prize Exhibition. These and other Christian paintings such as her entry in the
Mary McKillop Prize, are now in private collections, eg Richard Kelton, USA, and on
permanent display in Public Art Galleries, Catholic seminaries and hospitals in Melbourne,
Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. For example, one of Linda’s Crucifixions is on the wall
outside the lifts in St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. Thousands of visitors to the hospital
would have seen this painting and been inspired by it.
In this same period, Linda saw the movie “ET” on television. She was captivated by the
story, especially when ET said “home” many times. She interpreted the movie as showing
a spirit from far away, who came to live on Earth, then after many adventures went home
to his family, who live “way up there, beyond the moon and the stars”. She found the story
similar to that of Jesus, who also stayed on Earth and then went Home. She painted the
ET family plus various scenes from the movie. The series was hung at the Art Gallery of
SA for the 1996 Biennale as part of the Adelaide Festival and was very popular.
1995
Over the next few years, Linda used her spirit figures to portray various stories from her
childhood in the Gibson Desert and later at Haasts Bluff.
2000
Linda’s painting, Emu Men at Lake McKay, won the joint runner up prize in the National
Indigenous Heritage Art Award. It was purchased by the National Gallery in Canberra.
told her in 1983, “My daughter, after I have gone, you got to keep it going.” Meaning that
Linda was to paint his Dreamings and carry on his work into the next generation and
beyond. Lankata died in 1985.
1986 The Beginning
In this year, at Morris Soak Town Camp in Alice Springs, Linda was taught the art of dot
painting by two of her uncles. These men were Uta Uta Tjangala and Nosepeg Tjuperula.
As senior aboriginal men they allowed her to paint a Tingari Dreaming Story about
rainmaking at Waulkurritje Rock Hole near Lake MacKay. Using acrylic paint, she then
painted the two designs which her uncles had given her. These were done on small
canvas boards. She sold these around Alice Springs for small amounts of money. This
was Linda’s apprenticeship training.
1987
Linda joined the painting cooperative, Tjukurrpa, based at the Institute for Aboriginal
Development (IAD) in Alice Springs. It was funded and managed by IAD. The founding
members were Pansy Napangati and Pauline Nakamarra Woods. From then on the core
group consisted of Linda, Pansy, Pauline, Bessie Liddle, Kitty Miller and Eileen Boko. With
these ladies, Linda went on several painting and exhibition trips over the next two years.
These ladies went to Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Darwin and Melville
Island. These trips contributed to her arts education.
At IAD, Linda began her Tingari Story in larger format, on stretched canvases. She had
two designs, on rectangular and one diagonal.
Over the next two years Linda produced many paintings of these designs, which were sold
throughout Australia by Tjukurrpa.
1989
One day in this year Linda was thinking about the Christian stories which the Lutheran
Missionaries at Haasts Bluff taught her when she was a young girl. She had just
completed a Tingari painting using the rectangular design. As she looked at it, she could
see that by making small changes it would become a vertical, figurative painting,
representing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Linda called this painting “Crucifixion”. It was suggested by Dorothy, the coordinator of
Tjukurrpa, that Linda enter this painting in the prestigious Blake Prize for Religious Art.
She did this and the painting was selected to hang in the 1989 Blake Prize Exhibition. It
was short listed from more than 450 entries.
At the opening of the exhibition, Linda showed the second religious work she had done,
entitled “Three Wise Men” to her kinship brother, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. All the
people in the room stopped talking and looked at the painting. Linda was heartened by this
and over the next few months completed the quartet with “The Last Supper” and
“Ascension”. Over the next several years Linda had a total of seven religious works hung
in the Blake Prize Exhibition. These and other Christian paintings such as her entry in the
Mary McKillop Prize, are now in private collections, eg Richard Kelton, USA, and on
permanent display in Public Art Galleries, Catholic seminaries and hospitals in Melbourne,
Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. For example, one of Linda’s Crucifixions is on the wall
outside the lifts in St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. Thousands of visitors to the hospital
would have seen this painting and been inspired by it.
In this same period, Linda saw the movie “ET” on television. She was captivated by the
story, especially when ET said “home” many times. She interpreted the movie as showing
a spirit from far away, who came to live on Earth, then after many adventures went home
to his family, who live “way up there, beyond the moon and the stars”. She found the story
similar to that of Jesus, who also stayed on Earth and then went Home. She painted the
ET family plus various scenes from the movie. The series was hung at the Art Gallery of
SA for the 1996 Biennale as part of the Adelaide Festival and was very popular.
1995
Over the next few years, Linda used her spirit figures to portray various stories from her
childhood in the Gibson Desert and later at Haasts Bluff.
2000
Linda’s painting, Emu Men at Lake McKay, won the joint runner up prize in the National
Indigenous Heritage Art Award. It was purchased by the National Gallery in Canberra.
No comments:
Post a Comment