Maureen began painting with her father Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi, a famous Australian artist, one of the first masters who was involved with the Aboriginal art movement. Maureen Morgan Napaltjarri experiments with colour and shapes keeping the traditional content of the stories.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2005 23rd Telstra NATSIAA Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA)
2004 Mary Place (Melbourne)
2003 Exhibition Chapel of Chapel (Melbourne)
2002 Exhibition High on art (Melbourne)

Maureen paints first-rate paintings with the intricate details and subtle shades that float and move with the viewer’s eyes. Her paintings have the physical presence of much contemporary work of art. Completed with tiny dots her paintings have fascinating accuracy and also, powerful and inspiring and multi dimensional impression. 

Maureen experiments with colour and shapes keeping the traditional content of the stories. Her paintings describe Shorty Lungkata Dreamings in Australian Western Desert with sand hills and its winds, the rainfall and the desert surroundings after the rain in its natural world. Though  Maureen Morgan paintings with her intricate details and subtle shades of colour can not be easily replicated via a digital image as they loose it via internet transfer. Due to the digital transfer process via the internet it is difficult to observe the quality of her work and the details of the paintings on the website. The digital transfer does not allow for the accuracy and the physicality of the work of art, neither the powerful and moving multi dimensionality of Maureen Morgan work.

Maureen Morgan was born circa 1970 at Papunya Community, the youngest daughter of revered artist of Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi from the Papunya, he was one of the first masters who was involved with the Aboriginal art movement. Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi was Maureen Morgan first most important teacher coaching her in art ideas, philosophy, beliefs and principles of painting his ancient family Dreamings.

Maureen Morgan Napaltjarri

Acrylic on Belgian linen

PROVENANCE
Watiyawanu Artists of Amunturrngu Community Centre

Shorty Lungkata Dreamings

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Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi was a man of extraordinary presence and quiet self-assurance. He grew up in the desert before travelling to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) around 1950. While he had a longer period of contact with non-Aboriginal people than some other Pintupi men of his age, he made attempt to learn English. In 1960 he moved over the MacDonnell Ranges to Papunya, where the new settlement had been created. By the 1970s Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi was a powerful and sometimes feared ngangkari (traditional doctor) as well as a a renowned Australian artist. At Papunya, the Pintupi were marginalized, and there was almost continuous conflict between the people of various language groups clustered around the settlement. Lungkata was a forceful advocate for his people and more than once would proclaim his rights in a dance with spears in front of a large crowd in the community canteen. Because of the dire living conditions, he and his family chose to live on successive outstations to the west of the settlement, towards his traditional country.

From the mid-1970s, Lungkata's works became increasingly elaborate. His paintings often featured multiple sets of looping crescents building from a steady centre. In some instances he employed subtle modulations of tone and colour to support the pulsing rhythm of a work. During this phase, he was the only Papunya Tula artist to begin his roundels with ovals rather than circles, giving his painting an attenuated, slightly convex feel. By the end of the decade, he was creating monumental, authoritative works that were comprehensive representations of the several Tjukurrpa that cross his traditional country. His greatest works were created when the market demand for Western Desert art had not yet been realised and, consequently, Lungkata's significance as an artist should not be underestimated by the relative scarcity of his work. John Kean in 'Tradition today: Indigenous art in Australia', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2004

Lungkata began painting in the Australian summer of 1971-72. His paintings are intensely concentrated; their energies are contained and inwardly focused. 'Women's dreaming (Two women)', 1972, is a magnificent example of his earliest work. It is spare and powerful, but with subtle details such as the interlocking of the dotted Her family later moved to Warren Creek Outstation around 15 kilometers West of Mt Liebig,  Maureen lives at Warren Creek with all her family including her son and most other family members. Warren Creek is rich with Bush Tucker and  Maureen still looks for Honey ants and witcherty Grubs on the weekends.

Maureen began painting with her father Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi, a famous Australian artist (one of the first masters who was involved with the Aboriginal art movement) and later for the Watiyawanu Artists of Amunturrngu Community Centre.  Maureen Morgan Napaltjarriis an important member of the Watiyawanu Artists of Amunturrngu community centre of Mt Liebig. Some of the most interesting Aboriginal art today is coming from the Mt Liebig community 325kms West of Alice Springs in the heart of the Australian Western Desert. Leading artists represented in the exhibition include the highly acclaimed Lilly Kelly Napangardi and Wentja Napaltjarri Two. Maureen has a promising career and is sought after solo exhibitions. One of  Maureen’s exciting exhibition was to be selected for the prestigious 23rd Telstra NATSIAA  2005 Telstra Australian National Aboriginal Art Award (NATSIA) in the Museum & Art Gallery Northern Territory (Darwin).