Kathleen has painted some important country for her family, which is south
of Balgo in the Great Sandy Desert. The country depicted here is Nakarra Nakarra,
one of the sites of the Seven Sisters Dreaming, a story about seven sisters
who travel the ancestral landscape running from an old man who wants to marry
the youngest. At Nakarra Nakarra a group of hills embody the seven sisters,
among which is found a tjurnnu, or soakwater, shown in the centre of the painting.
The hills and more distant tali, or sand dunes are shown surrounding Nakarra
Nakarra.
PROVENANCE
Warlayirti Artists, Halls Creek, Catalogue Number
147/03
In her formative years 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 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, Cecily and Sadie, at Sturt Creek
before they moved on to the old Balgo Mission. Kathleen gave birth
to her third daughter, Irene, 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 attempt to travel back to Sturt Creek for weekends
and holidays with the children as much as possible. This is where their
last child, Christopher, was born.
Since moving to Kururrungku (Billiluna) Kathleen
has commenced painting the country of her family south of Yagga Yagga.
Kathleen’s first solo exhibition will be held
with Scott Livesey Art Dealer in 2004.
