Beverley Egan
About Beverley
Beverley Egan was born in Mullewa on the 21 August 1961. Bev is a Yamatji woman and speaks the Wadjarri language. She maintains very strong links with her country and traditional culture in the Murchison/Gascoyne Region and regularly returns for family events. Her cousin is Betty Egan and her niece is Loretta Egan, both well-known Indigenous artists.
A well respected artist, Beverley paints women’s stories and stories from her family’s country in the Murchison area. Her preferred medium to work with is acrylic paints, using vibrant, contemporary colours that pop off the canvas.
Beverley has lived the majority of her life in Perth with her husband (who is also Yamatji) and her two sons, and paints regularly for various galleries across Australia.
About the artworks
Women's Story:
In this painting, Beverley paints the Women’s Dreaming. The women are represented by the “U” Shapes. This is a story of women coming together from tribes all around the Murchison area; gathering around the main meeting place. This is a time for Women’s Business; such as ceremonial dance in which the women would paint the traditional Awelye (Ceremonial Body Paint) over their bodies for rites of passage and coming of age. It was also a time to discuss matters such as gathering food (Bush Tucker). Meeting on a regular basis draws women from different groups and families together and is an important part of their traditional way of life.
Women Digging for Bush Potato:
This painting depicts women coming together, represented by the U shapes. They have at their sides traditional tools for collecting Bush Tucker (usually Bush Potato). From the centre stretches the roots of a bush plant, representing the strong links that the two people have with their family members. Strong connections between tribes and families ensure a happy healthy life for people living in the desert, and everywhere.
Murchison River Dreaming:
In this painting, Beverley paints the Murchison River. This is a story of people coming together from tribes all around the Murchison area; gathering around the main meeting place (represented by the concentric circles). This is a time for important discussions; such as ceremonial dance in which the women would paint the traditional Awelye (Ceremonial Body Paint) over their bodies for rites of passage and coming of age. It was also a time to discuss matters such as gathering food (Bush Tucker). Meeting on a regular basis draws people from different groups and families together and is an important part of their traditional way of life.
