Barbara CHARLES

REGION: YUELAMU (MT ALLEN) 

LANGUAGE : ANMATYERRE

 
BARBARA CHARLES NAPALJARRI WAS BORN ON NAPPERBY STATION IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA C.1959.

CIRCA 1959 MEANS THAT SHE WAS BORN AWAY FROM A CLINIC OR HOSPITAL WHERE BIRTHS WOULD BE NORMALLY RECORDED AND SINCE DATES HAVE LITTLE MEANING TO ABORIGINAL PEOPLE THE DATE WAS NOT RECORDED.

BARBARA IS ONE OF THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS OF THE COUNTRY, ON BOTH NAPPERBY AND CONISTON STATIONS. NAPPERBY STATION IS LOCATED ABOUT 350 KM SOUTH WEST OF ALICE SPRINGS.

HER PAINTINGS USUALLY DEPICT SNAKE, WITCHETTY GRUB AND PERENTE DREAMINGS.(THE PERENTE IS A LIZARD WHICH CAN GROW TO MORE THAN A METRE AND WEIGH UP TO 5 KILOGRAMS AND LIVES SOLELY IN THE DESERT LIVING ON OTHER SMALLER LIZARDS, SAND FROGS AND BUGS).

HER PAINTINGS OF THE PERENTE ARE ALMOST LIFE LIKE AND WONDERFUL.

SHE SHARES THESE DREAMINGS WITH HER SISTER RACHEL. SHE ALSO CO-PAINTS WITH HER HUSBAND MICHAEL TOMMY.

BARBARA CHARLES NAPALJARRI STARTED PAINTING IN 1983 AT NAPPERBY STATION.

SHE SOMETIMES PAINTED FOR YUELAMU ARTISTS WHILE VISITING RELATIVES IN YUELAMU (MT ALLAN).

UNFORTUNATELY THE ART COOPERATIVE IN YUELAMU DID NOT SURVIVE BUT HER PAINTINGS HAVE.

YUELAMU IS AN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY OF AROUND 1200 PEOPLE ON WHAT WAS MT ALLAN STATION IT PROVIDES A MODERN HEALTH CLINIC, SCHOOL, POLICE STATION AND COMMUNITY STORE.

SHE IS A DOT PAINTER USING ACRYLIC ON CANVAS OR BELGIAN LINEN USUALLY WITH THE NATURAL EARTH TONES.BARBARA SOMETIMES PAINTS WITH HER HUSBAND MICHAEL TOMMY TJAPANGATI ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED ARTIST WHO LOVES TO PAINT VERY LARGE PAINTINGS.

IN RECENT YEARS SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAVE MOVED FROM NAPPERBY STATION AND TAKEN UP MORE OR LESS PERMANENT RESIDENCE AT YUELAMU (MT ALLAN).

HER WORKS HAS BEEN SHOWN IN SEVERAL CAPITAL CITIES AS WELL AS BEING EXHIBITED AND SOLD IN EUROPE AT SEVERAL VENUES.