bernadine johnson
Bernadine Kemarre is a rising star in contemporary Aboriginal art, celebrated for her intricate compositions and luminous use of colour. Born in 1974 in the Ltyentye Apurte Community (Santa Teresa), approximately 80 kilometres east of Alice Springs, Bernadine experienced a traditional upbringing before completing her schooling in Alice Springs.
She comes from an esteemed artistic lineage. Her family includes some of Central Australia’s most recognised artists, such as Abie Loy Kemarre and Josie Petrick Kemarre, both of whom have roots in the renowned Utopia region. Her sister-in-law, Anna Price Petyarre, is one of the Central Desert’s most sought-after contemporary painters. From a young age, Bernadine learned to express her Dreaming stories, ceremonies, and the natural world around her through painting.
Now living with her husband, Steven, and their children at Napperby Station, Northern Territory, Bernadine continues to paint with passion and precision. Her works are admired for their fine detail, harmonious colour palettes, and rhythmic dot work that evoke both movement and depth. Each piece reflects her deep cultural knowledge and connection to Country, carrying forward the stories and practices of her ancestors while contributing her own voice to the evolving landscape of Aboriginal art.
Artwork Story – Medicine Bush Leaves Dreaming
Bernadine’s Medicine Bush Leaves Dreaming depicts the leaves of the Kurrajong tree, a plant that has been used for thousands of years by Aboriginal women for its powerful healing properties. The Kurrajong is an ancient species, with over 30 known varieties dating back more than 50 million years. Ranging from small shrubs to towering trees, the larger trunks were traditionally used to store water, while the leaves held significant medicinal value.
Women from the Utopia region gather these leaves and prepare them through a traditional process—boiling and crushing them together with animal fats such as kangaroo, emu, or goanna. The resulting paste or poultice is used to treat a wide range of ailments, including bites, wounds, skin infections, and rashes. Infusions made from the leaves also serve as healing teas, and other preparations were used as insect repellents or to stun fish in waterholes.
In her paintings, Bernadine captures the movement and vitality of the medicine bush leaves through fine dotting and layered brushwork. The artworks are often described as mesmerising, with leaves appearing to dance and swirl across the canvas, as though stirred by the desert wind. Collectors from around the world—particularly those in the medical field—are drawn to these works not only for their visual beauty but also for their symbolic connection to healing, renewal, and the enduring wisdom of Aboriginal knowledge systems.
