Artist: Sharoline Nampijinpa Frank
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 91m x 61cm
Ngapa Jukurrpa (Dreaming), by Aboriginal artist Bess Napanangka Poulson. This beautiful piece depicts the Water Dreaming at Puyurru, west of Yuendumu. It tells the story of two Jangala men, rainmakers, sang the rain, unleashing a giant storm. The storm moves across the country from east to west intersecting with other Dreaming's as it travels.
The Water Dreaming built hills at Ngamangama using baby clouds and also stuck long pointy clouds into the ground at Jukajuka, where they can be still seen today as rock formations.
In contemporary Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography is used to represent the 'Jukurrpa' (Dreaming). Short dashes are often used to represent 'mangkurdu' (cumulus and stratocumulus clouds), and longer, flowing lines represent 'ngawarra' (flood waters). Small circles are to depict 'mulju' (soakages) and river beds.
