Greeny Purvis Petyarre, apart from being a very high ranking tribal elder in Utopia, was also the nephew of the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye. His father, Alhalkere Jack, Lindsay Bird's mother and Emily are all blood brothers and sisters. Greeny was married to Kathleen Kemarre and had four daughters.

Greeny's paintings, usually Yam Seed Dreamings, are highly sought after by collectors and galleries throughout the world. Very rarely did he digress from the basic colours, and he painted with the use of lines, medium size dots and very small dots. On occasion he had been known to use very large, splash type dot work during a period of collaborations with Emily Kame Kngwarreye (Greeny being the eldest nephew).

The colours usually indicate different stages, seasons or time e.g. Yam Seed Dreaming - before germinating, after germinating, when bearing fruit and sometimes after it has borne fruit. His paintings appeared to reflect his unpretentious personality - quietly unassuming but with that feeling of endurance and respect.