Nancy Nodea Australain, Gija, b. 1944 - 2022
Nancy Nodea grew up and worked most of her early life on Texas Downs Cattle station in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. On the station Nodea worked in a wide range of roles including checking bores, roadbuilding, milking the goats, making butter and general housework.
Nodea began painting in 1994, guided by Rover Thomas and Queenie McKenzie. Nodea has explored contemporary stories that occurred in the East Kimberley over the past 200 years since white settlement. She has told the stories of the white cameleers and massacre sites not far from Warmun in her paintings; she is one of the strongest historical painters at Warmun but also paints her beloved Texas Downs Station country. Nodea and other artists who grew up on this station take an active role in taking young people out to country to hunt, fish and return to traditional ways of living with the land.
This return to country is a constant inspiration for Nodea and she always comes back inspired and invigorated from time spent in her country.
Currently Nodea works full time as an artist at Warmun Art Centre.