1965
Language Group:Alyawarre
Country:Irrultja and Atnwengerrp, Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas and Linen
Subjects:Anaty (Desert Yam), Anemangkerr (Bush Melon) Dreaming, Akarley (Northern Wild Orange)
Paintings by Jeannie predominately represent the flower and seeds of the Anaty (desert yam or bush potato), which she enjoys collecting in her homeland. Jeannie's distinct style for her story was created in 2004 for Mbantua Gallery and its captivating energy has thrust her name throughout Galleries nationwide.
In 2008, Jeannie's large Anaty painting was accepted in the 2008 NATSIAA, the most prestigious Aboriginal art award in Australia.
Cheerful and good spirited, Jeannie has close family connections to some of Australia's top names in art. Her mother is well known Utopian artist Dolly Mills and her uncle is the late Greeny Purvis, a successful entrant in the 21st NATSIAA. Her great aunt is the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye, dubbed by art experts as one of the world's best modern and abstract artists. It is through these influences that Jeannie began to paint, bringing her own style and dynamic to the world of Aboriginal Art.
Being one of Mbantua Gallery's nurtured younger artists, it is exciting to see Jeannie develop into an established and talented artist. It is an exhilarating chapter for her as she spearheads through to the future, as part of the next generation of Aboriginal artists keeping the culture and tradition alive for generations to come.
Jeannie paints the Anaty story from her father's country. This yam grows underground with its viny shrub growing above ground up to 1 metre high. The anaty is a tuber, or swollen root, of the shrub and tastes much like the common sweet potato. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is still a staple food for the desert aborigines where it can be harvested at any time of the year. Some can be found as big as a person's head.