bernadine johnson
Joyleen Pope is known for her expressive depictions of the Country. Having begun her creative practice later in life, she was propelled by her natural artistry and strong instinct for colour, quickly developing a singular visual language. Richly textured backgrounds are built with the energetic application of paint. With a distinctly feminine palette, she combines figurative renditions of local flora with rhythmic abstract patterns. Joylene's works are notable for their movement; loose, repetitive brush strokes evoke bush flowers and seeds blowing in the breeze.
For Joylene, painting is a means of recording and celebrating crucial cultural knowledge.
About the Painting
Honey grevillea is a straggly shrub with long, narrow leaves. This plant grows up to two metres tall. In spring and winter, it produces long spikes of bright yellow and green flowers, which attract nectar-eating birds.
The flowers contain thick, honey-like nectar, which can be sucked directly from the flowers (a favourite treat for Aṉangu children). Aṉangu also soaks the flowers in water to make a sweet, cordial-like drink.