Anna resides at Mulga Bore, an outstation of Utopia, NT approximately 220 km from Alice Springs. She has been painting for a number of years following in her mother's footsteps - the late Gloria Ngala. Anna takes the utmost care and pride in her work and endeavours to bring the sensitivity of her culture to canvas. She actively takes part in ceremonies and paints the bodies of the dancers prior to the commencement of each ceremony.

I find Anna's work visually intriguing and consider her to be one of the best of the younger generation painting today. She achieves great movement and depth in her work and is eager to explore the canvas with colour and tone.

Her current series of work focuses on the Little Bush Yam and consists of intricate woven bands of patterns in varying tones. The yam plant is one of the most reliable food types found in Anna’s country.

The above ground plant has bright green leaves with yellow flowers and can cover large areas of land. The yam is most abundant after the rain when the root system is at its most prolific stage of regeneration. Once the surface plant has died off, women will dig up areas to find the roots which are the edible part of the yam. These tubers can be eaten raw or cooked.

Anna will paint the bush yam in various stages of the plants life cycle, reflected by the colours she selects.

 

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