Jeannie Walatinna Australian, Yankunytjatjara, b. 1976

“I grew up with my sister Ugi and my brothers. We used to go hunting a lot with our dad, looking for malu (kangaroo) and bush vegetables. Our family is Yankunytjatjara. Our land is on the eastern side of the APY Lands. The country in the east has beautiful mountains and ridges. I like to paint the special country of my family, all the apu (mountains) and tjukula (rockholes.) It is a rich land full of life and energy.”

Jeannie paints the majestic landscape of the Yankunytjatjara lands. Painting in the creeks and trails that border her community of Indulkana, she marks the canvas with lines and iconography of mountains and rockholes. Jeannie’s family know this land intrinsically. Her palette is strong and reflects the sunburnt colours of the desert during the changing light of day. Her paintings are bold yet tender; there is a consciousness to the imagery, a glimpse at the power of the Yankunytjatjara lands.