Beverley Egan
About Bev
Beverley Egan was born in Mullewa on the 21 August 1961. Beverley 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 artists.
Beverley has lived most of her life in Perth with her husband (who is also Yamatji) and her two sons. She was taught by her niece Loretta and has also worked with Bundi Arts, working with ceramic art.
A well-respected artist, Beverley paints women’s stories and stories from her family’s country in the Murchison area. Her work is held in many private collections. Currently, she is painting with acrylic on canvas for several different galleries.
About the artwork
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 traditional 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.
