KATHLEEN NGAL - ARNWETKY (BUSH PLUM)

KATHLEEN NGAL
ARNWETKY (BUSH PLUM),  2010
synthetic polymer paint on linen
151 x 120 cm
 
PROVENANCE
Delmore Gallery, NT Cat No. 10B054
 
STORY
In this graceful and atmospheric painting, Kathleen Ngal layers blue, white, and soft touches of pink to create a cool, shimmering vision of Arnwekety (Bush Plum) Country. Her delicate strokes merge and disperse across the surface, evoking light moving over Country, the subtle flowering of the bush plum, and the seasonal rhythms that animate the desert landscape. The palette lends the work a sense of calm expansiveness, inviting the viewer into a contemplative encounter with place and story.
 
At the centre of the composition, Ngal introduces a more deliberate section of dot work, arranged in fine linear formations. These markings provide a rhythmic counterpoint to the surrounding wash, suggesting pathways, ceremonial traces, or coded indicators of abundance within the terrain. Their presence draws the eye inward, anchoring the fluidity of the painting with a quiet structural clarity. The result is a work that balances softness with intention, an elegant and deeply grounded expression of Arnwekety Dreaming.