Joy Kngwarreye Jones "Awelye"

200 x 130cms Acrylics on Belgian Linen (Framed in Black Oak) Joy Kngwarreye produces exquisite abstract depictions of her beautiful enteebra flowers in a range of colours that reflected the species and seasons and her ebullient mood. Always happy and high spirited, Joy's paintings reflect her vibrant personality and lust for life. Exploring her cultural expression through painting first began for Joy, when she watched and learned from her sister Lily Sandover Kngwarreye and adopted sister Emily Kame Kngwarreye (both now deceased). Her inspiration is originally derived from her personal experience of awelye (or women’s business). The process of awelye is fundamental to the participatory role of women in ceremony. In preparation for a ceremony, the women first anoint each other traditionally with emu oil, then paint designs on their breasts and torsos, using a variety of powders, ground from yellow and red ochre, and charcoal. The body-paint designs and symbols vary from ceremony to ceremony, from person to person (depending on the seniority of each member) and on the time of year at which the ceremony is held. Joy’s paintings represent her interpretation of this practice and its imagery, which she views from an aerial perspective.