Deutscher and Hackett

In 1996, Doreen Reid was one of a small group of women at Kiwirrkurra who painted their first paintings for Papunya Tula Artists. Over time her compositional range developed along with her output, and by 2003, she had developed a pared-back minimalist style reflecting her individual interpretation of traditional stories. Characterised by fine dichromatic linework and subtle shifts of colour, such transition saw Nakamarra now producing meandering zigzag compositions resulting in intricately optical paintings, exemplified here by Untitled, 2007.
 
Paul Sweeney, then long-term Manager of Papunya Tula Artists, wrote in the exhibition catalogue for Culture Warriors: Australian Indigenous Art Triennial in 2007 that ‘Nakamarra is a quiet achiever who has been gradually honing her skills over the last decade. Her combination of fine brushwork and precise technique has ensured that even her smallest works are highly detailed. On the larger formats, her current style of finely drawn zigzags, combined with broken lines of alternate coloured dotting, creates an optical effect in which the canvas appears to rise and fall like a series of meandering ridges and valleys. These are tali, or sandhills, which surround all the major women's sites at Kiwirrkurra that Doreen refers to in her work. Doreen has expanded on the theme and recently introduced an even more subtle use of colour, using two or sometimes three slight tonal variations, and combining them with the complex, wavering line work that has become synonymous with her signature pieces.¹
 
1. Sweeney, P., ‘Doreen Reid Nakamarra’ in Clark, D., and Jenkins, S., Culture Warriors: Australian Indigenous Art Triennial, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 2007, p. 132
 
CRISPIN GUTTERIDGE