Bush Medicine Leaves

Gloria Petyarre | 89cm x 42cm

Not stretched or framed  |  Acrylic on canvas

Gloria was born in around 1945 in the remote artist community of Utopia, Northern Territory (350km north-east of Alice Springs). Gloria Petyarre is one of seven sisters who are well known Indigenous artists, including Kathleen Petyarre, Nancy Petyarre, Violet Petyarre and Ada Bird. She is also the niece of Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Gloria won Australia’s longest running art prize, the Wynne Prize in 1999 with ""Bush Medicine Leaves"" being the first Indigenous person to win one of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’s major prizes. In 2009 Hermès commissioned Gloria to design one of its signature silk scarves. Based on Gloria Petyarre’s paintings. Gloria's beautiful ""Bush Medicine Leaves"" depicts the leaves of a particular type of shrub that has medicinal qualities. The women collect the leaves and boil it down to make a paste. The sacred plant is also used in women's ceremonies and has a variety of practical uses. Gloria paints her story in a range of different styles and types of brushes, including her signature 'big brush' style.