Details of Madigan Thomas
About
Madigan Thomas is a senior artist at Warmun Community (Turkey Creek) in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. She is a community elder and a strong Law and Culture woman. Madigan began to paint in the 1980s, inspired by artists Rover Thomas and Queenie McKenzie. Madigan and Rover were the first Warmun artists to combine natural earth pigments to achieve a range of colours.
Madigan says: 'I seen them kartiya paint [whitefella, acrylic paint] at the shop; blue one, green one, pink one. I was thinking, ok, we can make something like that using our bush paint [ochre]. One time we bin try 'em, me and old fella [Rover Thomas]. Old man and me bin work together and mix 'em up. Old woman [Queenie McKenzie] yell out to me, "How you bin do that?" Ah well, after that old girl [Queenie] bin startem' up and never stop mixem' colour.'
Madigan continues to paint with natural ochres and pigments on canvas. Her paintings tell the Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) stories of her country and refer to historical events, particularly early interaction between white people and Gija people. Madigan was a driving force behind the establishment of Warmun Art Centre in 1998, the first artist and community-owned art centre at Warmun. Madigan's work continues to be an inspiration to many young and emerging Gija artists. Madigan was born at Baloowa (Violet Valley), which lies south of Warmun. As a child she worked on the station in the garden and doing domestic duties in the station house. In the 1940s, when Violet Valley Station closed down she moved with her family to Mabel Downs Station where her father and brothers worked as stockmen. As she grew older, Madigan joined the men mustering cattle. When she did not have to work she spent a lot of time in the bush with the old people, learning the old "bush ways".
Madigan began painting in the mid 1980's along with well known artist Queenie Mckenzie and other Warmun women. She was one of the first artists to attempt to mix natural ochre and pigments to create a wider range of colours for artists to access, in particular, greens, pinks, blues and greys. Madigan began her career making painted seed necklaces, coolamons and carved boab nuts for sale to passing tourists. Madigan was inspired to paint by watching old man Thomas and other Warmun artists work. At warmun she is active in local council, community issues and teaching culture to the younger gneration. Madigan's daughter is Shirley Purdie, who is also a well known artist.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2007 Madigan Thomas, Seva Frangos Art, Perth, WA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2010 Kimberley Aboriginal Artists, Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin NT
2010 Ochres of the Kimberley, Tunbridge Gallery, Margaret River, WA
2010 Warmun - our earth our story' Art images Gallery, Norwood, SA
2010 Putipula Gallery, Noosa, QLD
2009 'Sharing difference on common ground;mangkaja, mowanjum,waringarri,warmun' HOlmes a Court Gallery, Perth WA
2009 'First and second generation artists from Waringarri and Warmun' Seva Fregos Gallery, Perth WA
2009 'Warmun Ochres: Rich Earth' , Gadfly Gallery, Perth WA
2009 'Hedland Art Award' Courthouse Gallery, Port Hedland, WA
2008 The woman of Warmun: Ten Years On; Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA
2008 Warmun at Ten, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin, NT
2008 Ten Years of Warmun Ochres, Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2008 Red Centre, Red Dot: Celebrating Indigenous Australia, Australia High commission, Singapore
2008 East of East Kimberley: Warmun in Asia, Red Dot Gallery, Singapore
2008 Traces of Country: Indigenous Fine Art Prints, Gecko Gallery, Broome, WA
2008 Palya Art in Sydney, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2008 Mungowum Ngarraknaari Yaarun (Strong Stories, Strong Culture), Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2007 Warmun Snapshot, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin, NT
2007 Greetings from Turkey Creek, Mary Place Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2007 Warda-Wurrarem (all kinds of stars) Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT
2007 Ngarrangkarni & Bible Stories, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic
2007 Dog Dreamings, Seva Frangos Art, Perth, WA
2007 Ochre, Brushes, Canvas: New work from Warmun, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2007 What Bird Is That?, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Vic
2006 Bungle Bungles, Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2006 Warmun Art Centre Presents, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2006 Ochres Show, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT
2005 Ochres Show, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT
2005 MMM Show, Wooloongabba Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
2005 Warmun Group Show, Hogarth Galleries, Paddington, NSW
2003 Warmun Group Show, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT
2003 East Kimberley Show, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
2003 The World Luxury Cruise Ship, in conjunction with Thornquest Gallery, Australasia
2003 True Stories of the East Kimberley, Yiribana Gallery, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
2002 Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD
2002 Beyond Wings, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA
2002 Painting Country, Chapel off Chapel, South Melbourne, Vic
2002 Easter Show, Bett Gallery, Hobart, Tas
2002 Group Show, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT
2002 Women from the East Kimberley, Tandanya, Adelaide, SA
2002 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Vic
2002 Warmun Group Show, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA
2001 Ochres, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
2001 New Paintings from Warmun, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
2001 This Earth for Us, Commonwealth Institute, London, Bristol and Edinburgh, UK
2001 Short on Size, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
2001 Four Warmun Ngarliwarrin (Women), Artplace, Perth, WA
2000 Hogarth Galleries, Paddington, NSW
2000 Michael Carr Gallery, NSW
2000 Bett Gallery Hobart, Tas
2000 Commonwealth Institute, London, UK
1999 Hogarth Galleries, Paddington, Sydney, NSW
1999 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Vic
1999 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin, NT
1999 East Kimberley Art Awards, Kununurra, WA
1999 Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, Perth, WA
1999 Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
1999 Hale School Exhibition, Perth, WA
1996 Figures in the Land National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic
1995 Paintings by Warmun Women, AGOG, Canberra, ACT
1995 Paintings by Warmun Women, Australia Girls own Gallery, Kingston, ACT
1994 Maintaining Family Tradition, International Year of the Family Conference, Adelaide Festival
Centre, S.A
1994 The 11th National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern
Territory, Darwin.
COLLECTIONS
National Gallery of Victoria
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Edith Cowan University Art Collection
Kerry Stokes Collection
Helen Read Collection
Northern Territory University Art Collection, Darwin, NT
Parliamentary Art Collection, Aboriginal People's Room, Parliament House, Perth, WA
Parliament House Collection, Canberra ACT
Lagerberg-Swift Collection, WA
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
2001 From Digging to Writing Sticks: Stories of Kija Women, Veronica Ryan, Lamb Print, Perth, WA
1999 Ngalangangpum Jarrakpu Purrurn: Mother and Child, Margaret Stewart, Magabala Books, Broome, WA
Artworks of Madigan Thomas
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This artist currently has no artworks for sale, please view some recent sold works below.