Mitjili is a Pintupi woman from the Haasts Bluff region, located 200km west of Alice Springs in
the Northern Territory. She was born around 1945 and is half sister to Turkey Tolson, another
well-known Pintupi painter. She married Long Tom Tjapanangka at Papunya in the 1960s and
they later lived at Haasts Bluff. She now lives at Mt Liebig with Long Tom.
Mitjili began painting at the Ikuntji Women's Centre in 1992. She paints her father's country
called Uwalki which lies in the Gibson Desert near the Kintore Ranges, west of Haasts Bluff.
This country is characterised by red sandhills, bushes and trees including the beautiful desert
oaks. Her early paintings were not entirely successful, being seen as rather similar to the
Papunya style paintings which she saw as a young woman.
Since working with the Ikuntji artists she has developed a very strong and distinctive personal
style based on her paintings of trees and country at Uwalki. She was taught some of her key
imagery by her mother drawing patterns in the sand. She says: "My mother taught me my
father's Tjukurrpa; that's what I'm painting on the canvas".
This style has gained her a strong following within Australia and internationally with regular
sellout exhibitions. Her paintings are held by numerous public and private collections.
the Northern Territory. She was born around 1945 and is half sister to Turkey Tolson, another
well-known Pintupi painter. She married Long Tom Tjapanangka at Papunya in the 1960s and
they later lived at Haasts Bluff. She now lives at Mt Liebig with Long Tom.
Mitjili began painting at the Ikuntji Women's Centre in 1992. She paints her father's country
called Uwalki which lies in the Gibson Desert near the Kintore Ranges, west of Haasts Bluff.
This country is characterised by red sandhills, bushes and trees including the beautiful desert
oaks. Her early paintings were not entirely successful, being seen as rather similar to the
Papunya style paintings which she saw as a young woman.
Since working with the Ikuntji artists she has developed a very strong and distinctive personal
style based on her paintings of trees and country at Uwalki. She was taught some of her key
imagery by her mother drawing patterns in the sand. She says: "My mother taught me my
father's Tjukurrpa; that's what I'm painting on the canvas".
This style has gained her a strong following within Australia and internationally with regular
sellout exhibitions. Her paintings are held by numerous public and private collections.
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