QUEENIE MCKENZIE - YIRRAGI COUNTRY

 QUEENIE MCKENZIE
YIRRAGI COUNTRY,  1994
80 x 60 cm
Natural Earth Pigments on Canvas
 
PROVENANCE
Turkey Creek, WA
Warangarry Arts, W.A S2737Cooee Art Gallery, NSW - old code #613Private Collection, USACooee Art Gallery, NSW 
 
STORY
This painting shows the country called Yirragi to the north-east of Turkey Creek. A Women who was a relative of the artist's late husband disappeared here, presumed taken away by spirits many years ago. Queenie McKenzie, was born on old Texas Downs on the Ord River in the rugged East Kimberley. She lived there all her life until the respected manager, with whom a close knit group of Aboriginal people ran the cattle station for many years, retired. The 'Texas Downs mob' then all moved to the Warmun Community at Turkey Creek, which was located on an adjacent property. Queenie was therefore focused on a locality from which she never moved, a landscape that she knew intimately: 'Every rock, every hill, every water, I know that place backwards and forwards, up and down, inside out. It's my country and I got names for every place.' It was this singularly close relationship with her country, that prompted Queenie to take up painting, but not until she had already led a full and energetic life.