Benita Clements Mona Lisa Australian, Western Aranda, b. 1980

Mona Lisa (Benita) is the daughter of artist Gwenda Namatjira (deceased) and great granddaughter of Albert Namatjira. She paints her country both in dot paintings depictions and watercolours. Mona Lisa also paints figurative images of her family and their learning of the watercolour painting tradition. She often comes to her Art Centre to learn from the elders and get inspiration from old photographs and stories.

In her own words:

"I paint the current and old Namatjira Family and the old days in Hermannsburg. For example, I painted my uncle Kevin Namatjira (deceased) while he painted his family in Hermannsburg at the Cafe, at the Hermannsburg Precinct. I also painted Lenie Namatjira (deceased), my aunty teaching her grandchildren Carissa and Kiara Malthouse at Hermannsburg how to paint in watercolours. I paint stories that people have told me about or that I see in pictures from the old days. For instance, how water was sourced from the creek: Western Aranda people were getting water for their families in buckets. I paint people and children from the community painting out bush near the Finke River. I always paint my Country, the West MacDonnell ranges and Mt Hermannsburg in the background or my paintings."