Australian artist (born 1950)
Jeanna Petyarre (b. 1950s), also known as Jeannie Petyarre, is a member of a family of artists that includes Kathleen Petyarre, Ada Bird Petyarre and Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Jeanna Petyarre is from the Utopia district of Central Australia. Her works feature in a number of collections including the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, and the Holmes à Court Collection in Perth, as well as many private collections.[1]
Early life & Career
Jeanna Petyarre was born c.1950s into the Petyarre artist family at Boundary Bore, an outstation on the Utopia homelands, 270km north east of Alice Springs.[1]
Jeanna began her painting career in the 1980s, with her works predominantly representing the traditional plants that her people collect and use as food sources and for medicinal purposes, specifically the Bush Yam and Bush Medicine Leaves.[1] Jeanna was encouraged by her aunt, Emily Kngawarreye to continue to paint her families 'Dreaming stories', a collection of family art works which include Bush Medicine, Bush Yam Dreaming, and Wildflower Dreaming.[2]
Originally from the Indonesian Islands, Batik textiles were introduced to Australia enmass in the early 1970s, where aboriginal artists developed it further as their own craft.[3] In 1988, Jeanna joined a group of women who would go on to produce Batik work using desert design on silk and cotton.[2]
