Anna Petyarre ‘03778’

Artist

Anna Price Petyarre, born 1960, is an Anmatyerre woman from the Boundary Bore area of the former Utopia Station, north east of Alice Springs. Anna is also known as Anna Pitjara, Anna Price and Anna Price Pitjara. She is the daughter of the late Glory Ngarla (Ngale, or Ngal) and niece to the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

Anna began painting in the early 1980s.

Anna initially primarily painted Yam Seed Dreaming in a colourful and intricate expression of the songs and stories associated with her plant totem, the Bush Yam, and its seeds. The Bush Yam has been a staple food and water source for the Anmatyerre people for countless years and the seeds that form and scatter from the plant are ground up to make flour for damper. During ceremony, it is Anna’s duty to pay homage to the yam seeds and give thanks for their abundance and regenerative qualities. By painting to the tempo of a ceremonial song, Anna expresses her connection to her plant totem in a permanent medium.

A versatile and creative artist Anna has changed her painting style radically several times over the last decade and now concentrates on extremely finely dotted works which represent her country and its ceremonial sites at Boundary Bore.

Artwork Information

This piece was painted in 2001 and is 60cm x 90cm in size.

Dreaming

Anna is best known for her Bush Yam Dreamings. She uses natural colours of the earth that are found in the Utopia region. here are several different types of yams and the connection between the yam and the ceremonies and songs is explored in the paintings in different ways by different artists.

Medium

All the artwork provided is done on with highest quality linen canvas, acrylic paints, oils and brushes ensuring the longevity of each piece of work.