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Patsy Long
Kemarre
Biography
Patsy Long Kemarre together with her sisters, Nora Moore Kemarre and
Kathleen Kemarre are all established artists from the Utopia region.
Patsy's depiction of the bush medicine plant is brought to life by star
like motifs throughout her paintings. Patsy has been painting for
Mbantua for a number of years and continues to provide us with her high
quality and detailed paintings.
Wild Passionfruit Dreaming
Dot work in Patsy painting represents the seeds of the wild passionfruit,
yellow and orange designs represent the fruit, green designs represent its
leaf and white designs represent its beautiful flowers. The sacred Dreamtime stories that belong to
Pasty’s country, Antarrengeny of which play a significant part in her
ceremonies and culture. One of these Dreamings is of the Wild Passionfruit
of the Capparis spinosa var. nummularia shrub. In Pasty’s language it is
called Arrwerneng. The plant produces white, delicate flowers that only last
for a day or two, and the wild passionfruit that ripen in the summer and
last until the winter frosts. When the green fruit ripen, it splits open
revealing bright yellow pulp and black seeds. Ants and bird are attracted to
this fruit when it is ripe which is why it is commonly picked green by the
aboriginal people and allowed to ripen off the plant.
There are many sacred
Dreamtime stories that belong to Pasty’s country, Antarrengeny of which
play a significant part in her ceremonies and culture. One of these
Dreamings is of the Wild Passionfruit of the Capparis spinosa var.
nummularia shrub. In Pasty’s language it is called Arrwerneng. The plant
produces white, delicate flowers that only last for a day or two, and
the wild passionfruit that ripen in the summer and last until the winter
frosts. When the green fruit ripen, it splits open revealing bright
yellow pulp and black seeds. Ants and bird are attracted to this fruit
when it is ripe which is why it is commonly picked green by the
aboriginal people and allowed to ripen off the plant.
Source
& FURTHER REFERENCES:
"Aboriginal
Artists of the Western Desert - A Biographical Dictionary" by Vivien
Johnson, published by Craftsman House 1994,
"The
Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture"
edited by Sylvia Kleinert and Margo Neale published by OUP 2000,
“Australian
Aboriginal Artist Encyclopedia”
– dictionary of biographies”
Kreczmanski, Janusz B & Birnberg, Margo (eds.): Aboriginal Artists:
Dictionary of Biographies: Central Desert, Western Desert & Kimberley
Region (JB Publishing Australia, Marleston, 2004).
Brody, A. 1989 Utopia women’s Paintings: the First Works on Canvas, A
summer Project, 1988-89 exhib. Cat. Heytesbury Holdings, Perth Brody, A.
1990 Utopia, a picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert
Homes
a Court Gallery and gallery Collection, Heytesbury Holdings LTD Perth NATSIVAD database; Latz, P. 1995, Bushfires & Bushtucker, IAD
Press, Alice Springs. |
