About this artwork
This painting is a topographic rendering of rock holes surrounding Lake Christopher, a large and usually-dry lakebed in the remote Rawlinson Ranges of the Ngaanyatjarra lands, WA. While the lake only fills with water after big rains, these rockholes have kapi (water) in them even in the dry season. These rockholes are surrounded by tali (sandhills) and bush flowers and plants.
Winsome visited this lake with her father and uncle growing up, camping out at Karrku (a nearby outstation) to see, walk and learn about Country. Lake Christopher is an intermittent lake which only fills with water after big rain; Winsome remembers seeing the lake after big rains and hearing stories about old people hiding around the lake in the early days. Winsome still likes to visit this country whenever she can, last camping there in 2020.
About Winsome Newberry
Winsome Newberry is an established Ngaanyatjarra artist who was born in Kaltukatjara (Docker River), and has spent much of her time between Warakurna and Kaltukatjara. Winsome paints important Tjukurpa (Dreaming), including her paternal grandfather's country near the Rawlinson Ranges in Western Australia. Winsome learned painting and wood carving from her mother in Warakurna and Warburton as an adult, and enjoys painting with a number of different techniques including dotting with a purnu (wooden stick) and using a variety of brushes to create her textured and striking canvases.
