Puturlu Jukurrpaby Shirley Napanangka Martin

The Purlapurla Jukurrpa (Black Kite Dreaming) is centred on the Mount Dennison area near Yuendumu Community in Central Australia. This painting concerns a Purlapurla ancestral hero who lived there. Purlapurla flies high in the sky like the Wedge-Tailed Eagle and perches in the top of trees. The story relates an incident where he had injured his legs and was flying up and down. In the paintings of this Jukurrpa often the hero is indicated by a vertical line or lines in the painting. The Purlapurla Jukurrpa belongs to the Nungarrayi/Napaljarri women and the Jungarrayi and Japaljarri men.

Artist:Shirley Napanangka Martin
Title:Puturlu Jukurrpa
ID:4394-18
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas
Size:30 x 30 cm
Region:Yuendumu, Central Australia

Artist

Shirley Napanangka Martin was born in 1969 and comes from Yuendumu Community approximately 300km from Alice Springs in Central Australia. Shirley comes from a large extended family although she is an only child and lost her parents at a young age. Her Aunty Pamela Napurrurla Walker has been like a mother to her. Her grandfather Towser Jakamarra Walker (sadly deceased) was a well respected senior man in the Warlpiri Community and also a well known artist.

After finishing school Shirley went on to study teaching outisde of the community and returned in 1986 to work at the local school teaching the young children. Shirley first began painting with Warlukurlangu Artists, a local Aboriginal owned and governed art centre based in Yuendumu in 2006. She paints her mothers Puturlu (Mt. Theo) Jukurrpa, Bush Coconut Dreaming, Wild Plum Dreaming and Women's Dreaming.

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