"Bush Medicine Leaves" by Shirley Namatjira

Size: 95 x 88cm
Date of birth: 1969-01-01
From: Hermannsburg
Community: Ntaria : NT

Shirley is a young artist, from the extended Namatjira family, and has been taught by her aunties. Her paintings are about Women going out to get bush tucker, including witchetty’s and goanna eggs.

Shirley is the daughter of Reginald (Reggie) Namatjira and Angela Ebatarinja. Her father was a painter and taught her how to paint with watercolors.

The meaning behind the artwork

The bush medicine leaves are collected by the women and are highly prized for their restorative powers as part of traditional health practices. Bush medicine leaves derive from a particular native shrub that grows abundantly in the desert regions of Utopia, northeast of Alice Springs.