DOREEN CHAPMAN - STARFISH

DOREEN CHAPMAN
STARFISH,  2024
Acrylic on Canvas
30 x 30 cm
 
REGION
Pilbara, WA
 
PROVENANCE
Spinifex Hill Studio, WA, Cat No; 24-597
 
STORY
‘Been born Jigalong. Big sister for my son, Dennis Thomas. She been come this way, Hedland. Doreen, and me, are from Karntimarta, Warralong. I been bring him her here. Little girl she start painting, in Warralong. She looking… looking… she quick painter, quickly, looking, looking. No fishing, no hunting, no car, painting, painting every day eh? You been bring ‘em, she painting, painting, painting!’
 
— Maywokka May Chapman, mother
 
Doreen Chapman was born in Jigalong in 1971 and has lived throughout Western Desert communities in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. A Manyjilyjarra artist, she has spent most of her adult life in Warralong, a small community 120 km south-east of Port Hedland.
 
Doreen began painting alongside her mother, the respected artist Maywokka May Chapman, and first exhibited with Martumili Artists in 2010. More recently, she has spent extended periods in Port Hedland, where she continues her practice at Spinifex Hill Studio.
 
As a deaf woman, painting plays a central role in how Doreen communicates, observes, and shares stories of Country. Her work is recognised for its clarity, directness, and strong visual rhythm, reflecting her distinctive way of seeing and engaging with the world.