The artists represented at Kate Owen Gallery have a magnificent sense of colour. They instinctively use original and vital colour in a balanced and harmonious way on the canvas. Most of us, however, are not so lucky. Sometimes we feel that we have a colour scheme for the home or office, but often, however hard we try, it just doesn’t come off or doesn’t feel ‘complete’. We can also get stuck in a rut and not know how to stop repeating much the same colour scheme every time.

Being able to understand the terms and processes with colour will help you knowledgeably communicate your vision. So in this article, we’re going to give you a crash course on colour! Hopefully it will help you use colour more adventurously and with confidence. You may well disagree with some of my ideas and conclusions. Please blame this on the fact that colour appreciation is personal and subjective; so much a matter of personal taste and feeling, and I can only state what I myself feel to be true. 

The whole of this blog article is concerned with colour, but there can be art without it. The lack of colour does not make a master drawing less a work of art. Picasso’s ‘Guernica’, possibly the most profound painting of the last century, is in black and white. View our range of black and white artworks here.

The Basics:

Colour is perception. Our eyes see something, and data sent from our eyes to our brains tells us its a certain colour. Objects reflect light in different combinations and translate them into the phenomenon we call colour.

Colour theory is both the science and art of colour. It explains how humans perceive colour; how colours mix, match or claw; the subliminal (and often cultural) messages colours communicate; and the methods used to replicate colour. 

Physically, unless we are colour blind, we all see the same things in the same way and in the identical colours. The human eye may be similar to a photographic camera, but our brains are not dark-rooms. What we make up there of visual impressions is personal and has only subjective meaning.

The Colour Wheel:

The colour wheel consists of three primary colours (red, yellow, blue), three secondary colours (colours created when primary colours are mixed: green, orange, purple) and six tertiary colours (colours made from primary and secondary colours, such as blue-green or red-violet)

 

Draw a line through the centre of the wheel, and you’ll separate the warm colours (reds, oranges, yellows) from the cool colours (blues, green, purples).

Warm Colours are generally associated with energy, brightness and action, whereas cool colours are often identified with calm, peace and serenity.

When you recognise that colour has a temperature, you can understand how choosing all warm or cool colours in your home or office can impact the mood or ‘feel’ of the space. Take for example these two artworks by Ronnie Tjampitjinpa:

  

While the artwork to the left beautifully compliments the feature wall in the background, I would say the overall ‘feel’ of the space is cooler, as opposed to the piece on the right which adds warmth to the space.

Simply put, tints, tones and shadows are variations of colours on the colour wheel (used by adding white, black or grey to the colour). Colours mixed with white change tone and intensity. As the digital hang below of Freddy Purla’s artwork ‘Grandmothers Country’ reveals, a lack of brilliant colour does not mean a lack of varied colour.

Just because you have a neutral décor, doesn’t mean you can’t add a splash of [subtle] colour!

Using the colour wheel, designers develop colour schemes. Some of the most common terms you may have heard are:

Complimentary Colours - complementary colours are opposites on the colour wheel. Here’s an example of an artwork by Patricia Baker where she has used the complimentary colours red and green:

Because there’s a sharp contrast between the two colours, this piece really pops!

Analogus Colours - analogue colour sit next to each other on the colour wheel - red, orange and yellow for example. When creating an analogous colour scheme: one colour will dominate, one will support and another will accent.

Triadic Colours - triadic colours are evenly spaced around the colour wheel and tend to be bright and dynamic. There is a lovely visual contrast whilst simultaneously being harmonious.

Helen McCarthy Tyalmuty using tridadic colours of orange, green and purple.

 Messages Colours Communicate:

Most of us have a favourite colour or prefer some colours over others. This is because it can affect our moods so we surround ourselves in the colours that have a positive impact on our mood.

Wassily Kandinsky, a renowned Russian painter and art theorist, was one of the first pioneers of colour theory and believed the following colours communicate the following qualities:

• Yellow – warm, exciting, happy
• Blue – deep, peaceful, supernatural
• Green – peace, stillness, nature
• White – harmony, silence, cleanliness
• Black – grief, dark, unknown
• Red – glowing, confidence, alive
• Orange – radiant, healthy, serious

What do you think? Don’t forget, colour also has cultural significance, political associations, and religious links.

 Colour inspired by surroundings:

We live in a colourful world, a world that acts as the perfect inspirational trigger for design. The rugged beauty of the Australian landscape can be re-created in even the most urban surroundings. Draw inspiration from the unique shades of native elements, such as the flame-orange hues of the desert, olive greens of the eucalyptus trees, or dusty pinks that pop up at the sky at twilight. Combine these punchy shades with complimentary earth tones to bring warmth and richness to even the simplest interiors.

Blues and greens are an intrinsic part of Australia’s diverse bush environment, so why not replicate this palette in an urban residence? Here, the soothing olive greens of melaleucas, and grey-blue of gum trees bring a little of the bush into the city. 

 Dulcie Long Pula’s Bush Yam Leaves sits beautifully in this loft apartment.

Composition Considerations:

It is impossible to speak about colour and completely ignore composition, drawing and design. For instance, Rembrandt and Braque used similar colours - Rembrandt to give a sense of light and depth, Braque for flat, decorative effects. Black in a Rembrandt is used in shadow and mysterious distance, quite different from the heavy black outlines and flat areas in a highly stylised Braque still life.

One example from the KOG stockroom are these two brilliant artworks by the highly talented and versatile artist, Helen McCarthy Tyalmuty.

 

She has used the same two predominant colours in both artworks (red and white), but her composition and painting technique have completely transformed how I perceive the colours. In ‘Marrawuk (The Dry Season) - HMCG0086’ I perceive the red colour as trees in the foreground, whereas in ‘Ngete (Ant Hills) - HMCG0104A’  I see the white accents in the foreground with the red colour receding as if it were the background. Personally, I also think the artworks have very different moods - Marrawuk really does capture that feeling of a still, hot afternoon, whereas in Ngete I feel energised - like the energy of a hundred worker ants are about to burst off the canvas!

Feeling Inspired ? Or even more confused? Either way, not to worry – here at Kate Owen Gallery we have a wonderful team of friendly, informative art consultants who can help you find the perfect artwork to finish off that home or office project. Get in touch with us today – we love hearing from you! We also have a great range of gallery services which you can explore here.

Welcome to our second exhibition in the ‘defining tradition’ exhibition series. In this show, we’re celebrating the trailblazing artists who pursued an adventurous use of colour. 

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article | related videos | exhibition catalogue | online exhibition

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Our inaugural ‘defining tradition’ exhibition in January, titled ‘the first wave & its disciples’, focused on the genesis of the western desert art movement at Papunya in 1971, when senior men essentially invented a new art form. We presented artists that have remained the faithful disciples of the muted colour palettes and powerful expression of Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) as first set down by those pioneers of western desert art. 

For many visitors to the gallery, the natural ochre pigments on display are what they had considered ‘traditional’ or the quintessential colours of Aboriginal art. Our second exhibition, ‘the colourists’, unveils that in experimenting with acrylics in Papunya in the 1970s, another great tradition was ignited - the use of bright colour.

As we completed hanging ‘the colourists’ exhibition, we couldn’t help but feel that the space was brighter, lighter and felt more uplifting. Our eyes were dancing around the space as we followed the sensuous pinks and reds found in Tommy Watson’s artworks, travelled across the dynamic lines of colour in Judy Watson Napangardi’s work, and felt the raw power in Lorna Fencer’s ‘Warna (Snake)’.

Before we delve deeper and discuss some of the fantastic artworks on display, we need to take a moment and debunk the notion that there’s none of this vibrant colour occurring naturally in the Australian landscape; that these artworks are somehow not an accurate or ‘authentic’ depiction of the Australian landscape. As I leave the urban jungle of Sydney - with its hazy air and restricted colour palette - and head to the ‘red centre’ of Alice Springs, the difference in colour is immense. The clean air, the bright Australian light and sensational contrasting colours sends my colour perception off the scale and everything is more intense. The mineral rich earth and stone also reflects a multitude of colours - making sunrise and sunset an incredibly magical time of the day. Everything does just seem more rich and vibrant in this special part of the world, with many landscape photographers commenting they have rarely seen the intensity of natural colour as found in our own backyard.

And then there is that magical time of the year, when for a few weeks the desert is blanketed with wildflowers. As far as the eye can see, there are vibrant splashes of blue, purple, yellow, along with more subtle pastel hues. It can be argued that many of the artists represented in this show are simply painting with colours they have experienced on Country. For me, this is perfectly typified by Polly Ngale’s gorgeous piece titled ‘Bush Plum’. Polly Ngale belongs to the oldest living generation of Utopia women and is considered one of the most accomplished painters to have worked there during the past twenty years. Polly’s artistic career began in the late 1970s when she, like many of the women in Utopia, began working with silk batik before venturing into works on canvas[1].

 

Most of Polly Ngale's paintings are centred around the 'Bush Plum'(or Conkerberry tree) and range from extremely fine dotting techniques with either interspersed colours or areas of varying colours and depth all blending together across the canvas. Through extensive over-dotting, she builds up layers of colour, blending or separate, to give a wealth of different and very attractive paint effects.

The Bush Plum - which is central to many of the works of artists’ of the Utopia community - provides an important food source for the Anmatyerre people and is frequently featured in the Women's dreaming stories. The fruits are harvested by shaking the trees until they fall to the ground but the fruits, although already quite sweet, need to be soaked in water to soften and plump them up for eating. The Bush Plum tree flowers in Spring and many of Polly's paintings have a distinctly Springtime air to them - one can readily sense a host of blossoms in her works.

Alternatively, some artists have used an adventurous colour palette to capture the energy or emotion of a site or Tjukurrpa (Dreaming). Lockhart River artist Samantha Hobson has an incredible ability to capture the colour and intensity of a moment and transform its radiant energy into an emotional charge pulsating through the artwork. Her Great Barrier Reef Series captures the jewel like quality of this pristine natural wonder, with bold splashes of paint conjuring those twinkling seconds a wave breaks. Her Series leaves the viewer feeling energised, much like a dip in the fresh saltwater.  Art historian Sally Butler perfectly explains Samantha Hobson’s work as “close to abstract expressionism, but there is always something that keeps it in touch with visible reality. This is because her art is about seeing the world, not a way of imagining it”. 

 

Another fantastic example of colour being used to express an emotion is Betty Mbitjana’s ‘Awelye’ - in this artwork Betty depicts the designs that the women would paint on their bodies, and the dancing tracks which are made in the sand during the women's awelye ceremony. Betty has chosen an array of bright, bold colours.  For me, this is the happiest artwork of the entire exhibition. If feels as if Betty is expressing the joy and celebration that occurs during the awelye ceremony. Betty’s artworks have a fantastic sense of greeting, and have a very uplifting effect in any area where they hang.

Another interesting item to consider when viewing ‘the colourists’ exhibition is how the artist has applied colour to the canvas. It is well known that the late Kudditji Kngwarreye would sing while he painted, as if to infuse the paint with his songlines and stories of Country. In the case of Judy Watson Napangardi, her brush was loaded with original and vital colour which she shuffled across the canvas, never losing connection between the brush and canvas. Interestingly, it is said that the ancestral women danced across country, and Warlpiri women of today channel their ancestors when they dance in ceremony, shuffling through the sand, never losing connection to Country. The method in which the paint has been applied could also imply a deep, ancient tradition. 

 

Judy Watson Napangardi was one of the trailblazing artists at Yuendumu, who cemented Warlukurlangu Art Centre’s reputation for their bold use of colour through an unrestricted palette[2]. Another early distinctive feature was the use of very traditional iconography. As explained by Warlukurlangu Art Centre, “the artists painted Jukurrpa (dreaming story), ensuring appropriate Warlpiri relationships of kirda (owners) and kurdugurlu (guardians) were followed and the images reflected the social and cultural obligations present in ceremonies and day-to-day life in the community. The kurawarri, the iconographic elements of a painting that held the story, were painted first and scrutinized by others for their adherence to Jukurrpa. The dotting that filled the canvases was less important, and many artists developed varying styles of application and experimented with different colours while maintaining a consistency in their presentation of kuruwarri”.

Nowadays, the paintings tell the story of the artists’ connection to their country, the features of the landscape, the plants and animals that are found there and the creation story that occurred in the Dreamtime. These stories are still very relevant to the artists today. Artists have their own particular styles or palettes, and constantly experiment and vary their paintings, so the works are constantly evolving.

As I walk through ‘the colourists’ exhibition, I also love how the art captures a sense of the artists personality - none more so than the incomparable Lorna Fencer Napurrula. We have created our own Lorna Fencer Photo Page to give you some insight into the persona of the artist and I think help to put her bold and uncompromising artwork into context.

Whilst many of the trailblazing artists featured in the show are no longer with us, it is heartening to see the next generation taking up the brush. In this exhibition alone we have artworks by the great Minnie Pwerle, her daughters Betty Mbitjana and Barbara Weir, and granddaughter Charmaine Pwerle (Barbara Weir’s daughter).

Coming away from ‘defining tradition | the colourist’ exhibition, I realise that no artist can work in a vacuum. We are all influenced by what we see around us. Painters are influenced by what other painters did before them. The colours we see and use, the effects in nature we try to convey, the things which inspire us and make us want to paint; all these reactions are conditioned by the traditions we respect and the influences and conventions we absorb - many of them unconsciously.

I encourage you all to see this monumental display of artworks and get some colour into your life!

 Related Videos

 

Defining Tradition | the first wave and & its disciples
19 january - 17 february 2019

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article | related videos | exhibition catalogue | online exhibition

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This year, we thought we’d try something different with our exhibition schedule. Don’t worry, the stellar solo shows and hugely popular artist in residence programs will still appear in the 2019 calendar, but we also wanted to provide our art-loving clients with some more weighty exhibitions to help contextualise the 2,0+ artworks stored in our gallery. So, starting in January 2019 we’ll kick off a series of exhibitions exploring the notion of ‘tradition’ in Aboriginal Art [1].

Aboriginal art is clearly in a category of its own and whilst it may be tempting to use modern art criteria to assess the works, Aboriginal art does not fit neatly into the mould of art in the Western sense. The world’s oldest living culture is organic and constantly evolving. So too is its art. And after over 40 years of employing non-indigenous media, the history of contemporary Indigenous art in Australia is marked by stories of great artists who have inspired other close or extended kin to follow their direction, resulting in a number of distinct schools, lineages or ‘traditions’.

The first wave & its disciples will present artists that have remained faithful disciples of the muted colour palettes and powerful expression of Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) as first set down by the pioneers of western desert art, those present in the remote community of Papunya in 1971.

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So – where to begin our ‘defining tradition’ exhibition series? For us the answer was quite clear, as we are fortunate enough to have this exceptional piece by one of the founding Papunya Tula artists hanging in our gallery:

 Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula 'Water Dreaming Kalipinypa' JWJG0001 122 x 211cm

Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula was part of the Old Pintupi [2] when Geoff Bardon arrived in Papunya and was one of eight men in the first Papunya consignments to the Stuart Art Centre in 1971.

Johnny rapidly developed a distinctive style of his own which came to be known as 'over-dotting'. He uses several layers of dots to depict his Dreamings, which consist of Water, Fire, Yam and Egret stories. Geoffrey Bardon labelled this stylistic layering effect as 'tremulous illusion' and in his book Papunya Tula: Art of the Western Desert, Bardon fondly recollects images of Johnny painting with an "intense level of intuitive concentration".

This piece was painted in 1999 and features the established imagery of Johnny's Dreamings overpainted to hide the secret and sacred elements. Where he was once known for his delicate and soft white dotting, he attacked the canvas to tell the story with great gusto. He jabbed large dots on to the surface and produced roundels and symbols for weapons with great sweeps of his arm and the brush.  After nearly 30 years of painting, and perhaps due to his failing health and eye-sight, Johnny painted with a new-found freedom, both in expression and in painting technique.

The combination of Tingari or Dreaming motifs used to describe the culture and country of these senior men formed the basis of the abstracted dot designs that both described and disguised some of the great creation narratives from their heritage.

Our exhibition title ‘the first wave & its disciples' references this first wave of artists who painted in such a manner, and the faithful disciples who have maintained their artistic traditions. Many of these disciples began their artistic practice by assisting family members to infill areas of the background of the paintings; a collaborative process which was instrumental in the development of future generations of painters. As male collaborators themselves became artists in their own right, the role of women as assistants began.

Johnny Yungut Tjupurrula's tutelage had obvious incarnations in his wife, Walangkura Napanagka's works. Johnny Yungut was an "integral part of the Papunya Tula Artists for his entire artistic career, as well as being a highly respected cultural figure within the Pintupi Community" [3]. Tracks and features of the land are outlined in solid black brushstrokes, followed by meticulous dot work in vivid orange red and yellow.

Returning to their traditional country during the homelands movement of the 1980s, Walangkura participated in the historic women's collaborative painting project in Kintore in 1994 that was initiated by the older women as a means of re-affirming their own spiritual and ancestral roots. The huge and colourful canvases that emerged from the women's camp were 'alive with the ritual excitement and narrative intensity of the occasion' (Johnson 2000: 197). Within a year, Papunya Tula Artists, now established at Kintore, had taken on many of these women as full-time artists, revitalising the company after the deaths of many of the original 'painting men'.

Walangkura Napanangka, 'Tjintjintjin' WNAS0004,138 x 138cm, Acrylic on Linen 

Walangkura's early works created from 1996 onward are characterised by masses of small markings and motifs covering large areas of canvas. Her favourite colour, a deep sandy orange predominates, accentuated against more sombre blacks and reds and dusky greens or yellows. More recent works show a gestural quality though still tightly packed with an intensity of geometric line work representing sand-hills. Like Johnny Yungut's, these dynamic compositions are singular in their vision and voice and now Walangkura’s eldest daughter, Debra Young Nakamarra, also creates works of unique energy and vigour.

The widow of Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi (a highly respected Pintupi elder who held significant knowledge of his countries Dreaming stories), Ningura Napurrula, first began to paint in her own right in 1995 in the second year of the Haasts Bluff/Kintore women’s painting project. Whilst Ningura’s art may appear looser and more tranquil, there is a strong narrative element to her paintings.

Ningura Napurrula 'Wirrulnga' NING0017 92 x 151cm, Acrylic on Linen

Her use of a limited palette emphasises the structural elements of her work and slight tonal variations of cream and white move the viewer’s eye around the surface of the paintings. Yala Yala Gibbs used a similar limited colour palette, in works such as Yawulyurru (1972, NGV Collection).  Ningura's paintings often relate to the rock-hole sites of Wirrulnga and Ngaminya, which are to the east of Kiwirrkurra. The site of Wirrulnga is associated with birth; at these sites women hair is spun to form nyimparra (hair-string skirts) which are worn during ceremony.

Yinarupa Nangala was a co-wife with, amongst others, Ningura Napurrula, of Yala Yala Gibbs. Yinarupa also started to paint in 1996. However, for some time she gained only moderate recognition for her works. This gradually changed in the late 2000s and by 2009 her austere style was finally recognised for what it is, classic Pintupi art at its best.

Yinarupa Nangala 'Untitled – YNAG0059', 150 x 209cm, Acrylic on Linen

She paints the country around Mukula and the women's ceremony associated with it. The story is passed down from her father's mother. The shapes in the painting represent the features of the country, as well as bush foods. Women are represented by the 'U' shapes and kampararpa berries are represented by the circles.  The tree like shapes that run across her paintings are the trees used to make spears. This is Yinarupa's unique representation of the story that Turkey Tolsen and his sister, Mitjili Napurrula, paint (both of whom are also family).

Pulling the show together is Naata Nungurrayi’s exceptional work Marrapinti. Naata’s paintings combine the carefully composed geometric style that developed at Papunya amongst the Pintupi painting men, with the looser technique and more painterly organic style introduced by the women after the paintings camps of the early and mid 1990s.

Naata Nungurrayi 'Marrapinti – NA201228', 183 x 245cm, Acrylic on Linen

The western desert painting movement initiated by senior Pintupi men in the early 1970s has developed at a rapid pace and pushed down new pathways, some of which we will explore in upcoming exhibitions. The first wave & its disciples is a thoughtful collection of works from the Kate Owen Gallery stockroom which provides a way of looking back while looking forward.

 Related Videos

The feature artwork for Desert Mob 2018, ‘Ngura (Country)’, a collaborative work by Mumu Mike Williams, Kunmanara Martin and Sammy Dodd of Mimili Maku Arts

Earlier this year, the Kate Owen Gallery team attended Desert Mob in Alice Springs. Desert Mob is a unique annual event that brings art centres from across the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. The Desert Mob opening, including Exhibition, Symposium and MarketPlace, is an opportunity to view new developments in Aboriginal art, to meet the artists, listen to their stories and share their culture in the heart of their country.

The Desert Mob exhibition at the Araluen Arts Centre is a real highlight - and we love seeing the latest works from the artists and art centres that Kate Owen gallery proudly represents. Please enjoy this little video of our Gallery Director in front of the Warlukurlangu Arts Centre hang in the annual Desert Mob exhibition. At Kate Owen Gallery, we have a beautiful range of artworks from Warlukulangu. Simply head over to our Art Search Tool and in 'Region' select the community of Yuendumu - you'll be spoilt for choice! 

Kate Owen Gallery was also lucky enough to acquire two stunning pieces from Kaltjiti Arts while in Alice Springs:

Mamungari'nya - MALHF18-70 by Manyitjanu Lennon

Manyitjanu is a highly respected senior elder and holds extensive cultural knowledge. As a senior artist at Kaltjiti Arts, Manitjanu also works on major collaborative pieces, which are used to teach younger generations skills in painting technique and storytelling, ensuring rich cultural integrity is maintained. Manitjanu has five children and four grandchildren.

Mamungari'nya - PTSHF17-361 by Pollyanne Tjungkaya Smith

Pollyanne has been an Anangu Education Worker at the Fregon Anangu School since 1994, and paints after school and during the holiday periods. Pollyanne paints the country of her mother; to the north, yet close to Watarru, is Untju-ku ngura, her mother's birthplace. A large hill with a rockhole in the middle is a distinguishing feature of this country.