Heather Brumby Australian, Yankunytjatjara, b. 1982

“When I was young, my dad used to take me and my brothers into the bush to find honey ants and hunting malu (kangaroo,) we would travel the traditional way, sleeping in the warm sand and eating maku (witchety grubs.) My paintings show my country, Yankunytjatjara country. There is a lot of energy here, and I like to capture that in my paintings.”
Heather paints the iconography of the desert landscape. Dotted markings map out the rock-holes, creeks, sacred sites belonging to her family and the places she has traveled. Her palette is rich and sunburnt, the colours mimic the tones of the red sandy 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.