MOORUN NEAR LAKE MACKAY: SANDHILLS DURING FLOODED SUMMER RAINS, 1993
Sunfly Tjampitjin
synthetic polymer paint on canvas
89.0 x 59.5 cm
inscribed verso: artist's name, size and Warlayirti Artists cat. 426/93
Warlayirti Artists, Balgo Hills
James and Wendy Cowan Collection, New South Wales
This painting is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Warlayirti Artists, Balgo Hills
Murtiyarru Sunfly Tjampitjin was born in the Alec Ross Ranges, northwest of Lake Mackay. His country was Murrunpa and Kurnaluurnpa and he was a respected senior custodian for the Kukatja people.
Moorun Near Lake Mackay: Sandhills During Flooded Summer Rains,1993 painted in the middle of the artist's short career. He has shown sandhills during the flooding summer rains which bring renewed abundance of flush new grass attracting Mala (wallaby) which is hunted for food. The confidence with which Sunfly Tjampitjin has depicted this site is a testament to his great cultural knowledge. The two rows of solid colour are framed by areas of overlaid dots of varying colour, the surface dramatised by the use of a final layer of white dots which appear to oscillate.
A major artist and ceremonial leader, Tjampitjin’s work was included in many major exhibitions including two at the National Gallery of Victoria; the 1989 Mythscapes: Aboriginal Art of the Desert, and also in 1989 as part of Images of Power: Aboriginal Art of the Kimberley.