Gracie Pwerle Morton
Born around 1956 on Utopia Station, Gracie Morton Pwerle is the daughter of renowned artist Myrtle Petyarre and sister to prominent artists Gloria and Kathleen Petyarre. Her family and the Utopia community share a rich artistic heritage. Not only her aunties but also her sisters, Mary, Rita, and Elizabeth, are artists. Gracie began painting in the late 1980s during the “A Summer Project,” when acrylic paints and canvas were introduced to women at Utopia. Her work has been widely appreciated across Australia and internationally. As a senior custodian of the Arnwekety (Bush Plum) Dreaming, she ensures the traditions, customs, and stories linked to this Dreaming are maintained, a responsibility inherited from her father and aunt. Her artwork mainly features Arnwekety, illustrating the seasonal changes affecting the plant. Her pieces evoke a lyrical quality, creating a three-dimensional visual experience that leads viewers through tender, outward-reaching fields of colour. Gracie’s work is part of major private collections, including the Holmes à Court Collection, and is regularly exhibited across Australia. Her art has also been showcased in international exhibitions in China, Germany, Italy, and The Netherlands.
In this painting, Gracie paints the Bush Plum seeds. The Bush Plum is a highly nutritious small fruit with black seeds, rich in vitamin C that can be eaten raw or cooked. Growing in a great profusion of flower and fruit throughout the winter months, the women, accompanied by the children, collect the bush plums, while at the same time reconfirming their connection to the land. The flourish of colour that distinguishes the bush plum after the fall of the rain is quickly transformed with the long hot summer months. Dried and separated, the seed and husk are scattered over the vast sun-baked landscape by the hot summer winds.
