Born: c. 1937
Location: Yagga Yagga area, Ngantalarra
Language: Ngarti
Skin: Napanangka |
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Kathleen is a warm and delightful person who lives
in the community of Kururrungku (Billiluna). In her youth Kathleen
walked around the country of Mungai (father's country), Nantalarra
and Nakarra Nakarra (mother's country) with her mother, brother,
father and uncle. They would travel to Gordon Downs Station
for rations of tea, sugar, flour and tobacco.
When Kathleen was still a young girl, her family
moved into Sturt Creek Station where she worked in the laundry.
It was here that she met her husband, Paddy Paddoon, who was
one of the men in the stock camp. She had two daughters at Sturt
Creek before they moved on to the old Balgo Mission. Kathleen
gave birth to her third daughter at the old stables of the mission.
The children were placed in the dormitories and Kathleen worked
as a gardener and in the kitchen making bread. Kathleen and
Paddy would try to travel back to Sturt Creek for weekends and
holidays with the children as much as possible. This is where
their last child was born.
Since moving to Billiluna, Kathleen has started
painting the country of her family south of Yagga Yagga. She
depicts the landscape rich with bush food, which is collected
by the women in coolamons. Kathleen is developing a style of
soft muted colours applied with a thick brush daubed across
the canvas, combined with fine dotting of the most exquisite
precision. She paints with much enthusiasm inspired by the love
for her country.
Principal themes in her work are: Nantalarra,
her family's country south of Yagga Yagga; rock holes, water;
karnti (bush potato); tjirrilpatja (bush carrot); purra (bush
tomato); small spirit people; cockatoo.
Group exhibitions
2001 Short on Size, Short St. Gallery, Broome
2001 The Peter Bailie Acquisitive Art Award Flinders Art Museum,
Adelaide
2000 Desert Mob Show, Araluen Centre for Arts, Alice Springs
1999 Short on Size, Short Street Gallery, Broome
1994 Aboriginal Desert Women's Law, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery,
Ballarat
1994 Aboriginal Desert Women's Law, A.R.T. Collins Place Gallery,
Melbourne
1989 Sixth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum
and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
Artist biography
© Warlayirti Artists 2002
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Balgo
Women Artists: Kathleen Paddoon
