"Yalanjirri", by Eubena (Yubinya) Nampitjin

Yellows, pinks, reds, purples, and all the hues in between, interspersed between bold white brush strokes, are the unmistakable elements of Eubena’s work, one of the most recognised Balgo-based artists. Dubbed ‘Queen of the Desert’, Eubena was one of the first women to paint Country, once senior Lawmen agreed to the idea of transposing cultural stories onto canvas. The women chose the intense colours of the wildflowers of winter, the blues and greens of the skies and water, and the reds and oranges of the hot desert sands. This acrylic painting on canvas is of Yalanjirri and all the main water holes that cross her Country around Kunawarritji (Well 33 on the Canning Stock Route) and the travels of Wati Kutjarra (two men), as they travelled through her Country. These figures are revealed as the pairs of conical hills that cross this remote part of the desert.