"Bush Medicine" by Patsy Long

Born around 1952, Artist: Patsy Long Kemarre is an established Australian artist, together with her sisters, Nora Moore Kemarre and Kathleen Kemarre.

Artist: Patsy Long Kemarre is an important Australian artist, together with her sisters, Nora Moore Kemarre and Kathleen Kemarre have established artists from the Utopia region.

There are many sacred Dreamtime stories that belong to Pasty’s country, Antarrengeny of which play a significant part in her ceremonies and culture. One of these Dreamings is of the Wild Passionfruit of the Capparis spinosa var. nummularia shrub. In Pasty’s language, it is called Arrwerneng. The plant produces white, delicate flowers that only last for a day or two, and the wild passionfruit that ripens in the summer and lasts until the winter frosts. When the green fruit ripens, it splits open revealing bright yellow pulp and black seeds. Ants and birds are attracted to this fruit when it is ripe which is why it is commonly picked green by the aboriginal people and allowed to ripen off the plant.

Patsy's depiction of the Australian landscape and the bush medicine plant is brought to life by star-like motifs throughout her paintings.

Artist: Patsy Long's beautiful paintings have the physical presence of much contemporary work of art and inspiring a multi-dimensional appearance.

Patsy Long pays particular attention to details with fascinating accuracy of intricate details, subtle shades of color that move with the viewer’s eyes.

Patsy LongArtist Patsy Long Kemarre together with her sisters, Nora Moore Kemarre and Kathleen Kemarre are all established artists from the Utopia region. Patsy has been painting for Mbantua for a number of years and continues to provide high-quality detailed paintings.

Language Alyawarr, Country Antarrengeny

Medium Batik – silk/cotton

Paintings - Acrylic on canvas/linen

Subject(s) Spinifex Burning, Bush Orange, Bush Medicine Plant, Awelye (women’s ceremony and body paint designs)

COLLECTIONS

Holmes a Court Collection, Perth

Mbantua Museum Gallery Permanent Collection, Alice Springs, NT

Art Bank, Sydney

University of Queensland, Anthropology Museum, St Lucia

Richard Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA

Donald Kahn Collection USA

OHSU Heart Research Centre, USA

Australian Aboriginal Media Association collection, Alice Springs, NT

Art and Soul Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Art Gallery Kunsthuys, Wijk bij Duurstede, The Netherlands

Vlaams-Europeesch Conferentiecentrum, Brussels, Belgium

Australian Aboriginal Media Association collection

Art and Soul Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee USA

Art Gallery Kunsthuys, Wijk bij Duurstede The Netherlands,


EXHIBITIONS

1990 Utopia- Picture Story, an Exhibition of 88 works on Silk from the Holmes a Court Collection by Utopian artists which toured Eire and Scotland

1993 Central Australian Aboriginal Art and Craft Exhibition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs

1998 May- August, Art Gallery Kunsthuys, Wijk bij Duurstede, The Netherlands

1998 April-June, Dreamings, Vlaams-Europeesch Conferentiecentrum, Brussels, Belgium

1998 Permanent Exhibition in Art Gallery ‘Culture Store’, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

2001 February, ‘Bloom’ an exhibition of Bush Medicine Dreamings from Utopia, Walkabout Indigenous Art Gallery, Leichhardt, NSW

2002 Mbantua Gallery - Art and Soul Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A

2002 Mbantua Gallery - 'The Cove Gallery' Portland, Oregon USA (Benefit - OHSU Heart Research Centre)

2002 Mbantua Gallery - Urban Wine Works, Portland, Oregon USA (Benefit – OHSU Heart Research Centre)

2002 Mbantua Gallery - Mary's Woods, Portland, Oregon USA (Benefit – OHSU Heart Research Centre)

2002 Mbantua Gallery - New City Merchants, Knoxville, Tennessee USA

2003 Mbantua Gallery - Art and Soul Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee USA

2003 Mbantua Gallery - 'The Cove Gallery' Portland, Oregon USA (Benefit - OHSU Heart Research Centre)

2003 Mbantua Gallery - Contemporary Aboriginal Art Event, Umpqua Bank, Portland, Oregon USA (Benefit - OHSU Heart Research Centre)

2003 Mbantua Gallery - Mary's Woods, Portland, Oregon USA (Benefit - OHSU Heart Research Centre)

2003 Mbantua Gallery - Art From The Dreamtime, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon USA (Benefit - OHSU Heart Research Centre)

2004 Aug-Sep Mbantua Gallery USA exhibition; Portland, Nashville, Knoxville, Hartford and Greenwich.

SOURCE AND FURTHER REFERENCES

"Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert - A Biographical Dictionary" by Vivien Johnson, published by Craftsman House 1994, "The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture" edited by Sylvia Kleinert and Margo Neale published by OUP 2000, “Australian Aboriginal Artist Encyclopedia” dictionary of biographies” Kreczmanski, Janusz B & Birnberg, Margo (eds: Aboriginal Artists: Dictionary of Biographies: Central Desert, Western Desert & Kimberley Region (JB Publishing Australia, Marleston, 2004). Brody, A. 1989 Utopia women’s Paintings: the First Works on Canvas, A summer Project, 1988-89 exhib. Cat. Heytesbury Holdings, Perth Brody, A. 1990 Utopia, a picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert Homes a Court Gallery and gallery Collection, Heytesbury Holdings LTD Perth NATSIVAD database; Latz, P. 1995, Bushfires & Bushtucker, IAD Press, Alice Springs.

Wild Passion fruit flower Dreaming

Patsy's depiction of the bush medicine plant is brought to life by star like motifs throughout her paintings. There are many sacred Dreamtime stories that belong to Pasty’s country, Antarrengeny of which play a significant part in her ceremonies and culture. One of these Dreamings is of the Wild Passionfruit of the Capparis spinosa var nummularia shrub in Pasty’s language it is called Arrwerneng. The plant produces white, delicate flowers that only last for a day or two, and the wild Passionfruit that ripen in the summer and last until the winter frosts. When the green fruit ripen, it splits open revealing bright yellow pulp and black seeds. Ants and bird are attracted to this fruit when it is ripe which is why it is commonly picked green by the aboriginal people and allowed to ripen off the plant. Dot work in this painting represents the seeds of the wild Passionfruit, yellow and orange designs represent the fruit, green designs represent its leaf and white designs represent its beautiful flowers.

Dot work in Patsy painting represents the seeds of the wild passionfruit, yellow and orange designs represent the fruit, green designs represent its leaf and white designs represent its beautiful flowers. The sacred Dreamtime stories that belong to Pasty’s country, Antarrengeny of which play a significant part in her ceremonies and culture. One of these Dreamings is of the Wild Passionfruit of the Capparis spinosa var. nummularia shrub. In Pasty’s language it is called Arrwerneng. The plant produces white, delicate flowers that only last for a day or two, and the wild passionfruit that ripen in the summer and last until the winter frosts. When the green fruit ripen, it splits open revealing bright yellow pulp and black seeds. Ants and bird are attracted to this fruit when it is ripe which is why it is commonly picked green by the aboriginal people and allowed to ripen off the plant.