This one's been a long time coming... this amazing Watarru Community Collaborative is one of the few works that regularly gets pulled out for visitors to the gallery and when it does it often gets left out as everyone who walks by is drawn to it.  The work uses the unique combination of a typical white man's geographical expression of a landscape and an aboriginal perspective in which we delve into legendary images and stories.

This collaborative artwork includes the following female artists:

Katrina Pollard Nampitjinpa - granddaughter of Telstra winner, Ngoia Pollard

Bronwyn Jimmy - daughter of Wipana Jimmy

Tinpulya Mervin - community leader and artistic leader for this work

Wipana Jimmy - community leader, key driver of the establishment of Watarru community in the mid 1980s and cousin of Jimmy Baker

Anne Dixon Nangala - daughter of Wipana Jimmy

Imitjana Pollard - daughter of Ngoia Pollard

Watarru Community Collaborative   Jimmy's Country   200 x 248 cm   $19,775 - WCCG0002

“Recently Kate Owen Gallery teamed up with Tim Leveson Interiors (TLI) for a Real Living Magazine photo shoot for their October issue.

Tim Leveson Interiors is a boutique Sydney-based business with a small team of designers and stylists dedicated to their mission statement 'Make Space Work'.

In preparation for the shoot, we selected eight works which we thought might be suitable. On the morning of the shoot we pulled up to the beautifully renovated Federation home of Tim and his partner, Libby Knott with a van full of stunning paintings that were then transported around various rooms to find the perfect fit.

Eventually we all settled on an amazing Walangkura Napanangka that became the centre piece for the master bedroom. The resulting images were fantastic and everyone was thrilled with the result.”

Despite occurring some time ago we here at Kate Owen Gallery are still very, very impressed with this effort by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers: in 2005 20 women spent 3 weeks to create a weaved model of a Toyota.  Measuring in at 4 x 2 m the work was entirely created out of raffia, grass, jute string, chicken wire and steel!  The work went on to claim first prize at the prestigious Telstra Art Award (for 2005).  With judges Doug Hall (Director of the Queensland Art Gallery) and visual artist Destiny Deacon remarking that “Tjanpi Grass Toyota…is a wonderfully witty, well-crafted and relevant work.  In one sense it takes us to the heart of community life and its tradition of weaving from grass that belongs to the women’s country.  On the other hand, this work not only recognises but also celebrates the four-wheel drive as central to desert living for Aboriginal people.”

Tjanpi Toyota, 2005, photo by Thisbe Purich ©Tjanpi Desert Weavers

While we (unfortunately!) do not stock any works by the weavers quite this large we do have a large range of works, of varying sizes.  Including goannas, lizards & snakes through to an assortment of bowls and small figures!  As per usual all works available in the gallery are listed on our website so feel free to check them out!

Collector’s Choice : top and bottom gallery, 31 March – 24 April
includes works by Judy Watson Napangardi, Kudditji Kngwarreye, Johnny Warangkula Tjupurulla, Shorty Jangala Roberston, Warlimpirringa and many more. We will be exhibiting some of the gallery’s finest collectible artworks from medium to XXL size throughout the gallery.

Helen McCarthy Tyalmuty  Wangga  acrylic on canvas  110 x 202 cm - $19,075

Thinking Outside the Square : charcoal gallery, 31 March – 24 April
a selection of small to medium size works by various artists including Jeannie Petyarre, Barbara Weir, Betty Mbitjana and Paddy Japaljarri Sims.
This show will hopefully give you ideas about how to display small to medium size artworks from emerging to collectible artists in a different way such as presented in our previous post ‘Value in numbers’.

Tanya Wheeler Napangati  Tjintjintjin  acrylic on linen  60 x 60 cm - $885

As usual, every art lover with any budget will be able to see artworks not only collectible but also from emerging artists in all sizes and with affordable price tags.