Gloria Petyarre facts for kids

Gloria Petyarre, also known as Gloria Pitjara, was a famous Aboriginal Australian artist. She was born in 1942 in a place called Utopia, Northern Territory, in Australia. Her community, the Anmatyerre people, lived north of Alice Springs. Gloria Petyarre was known for her beautiful paintings, especially one called "Bush Medicine".

Gloria started her art journey in 1977. She joined the Women's Batik Group, which was started by the CAAMA (Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association). She loved to paint and often worked with her sister, Kathleen Petyarre, who was also an artist. Gloria had six sisters, and they all became well-known artists!

Gloria's Art Journey

Gloria Petyarre began her art career with the Women's Batik Group. She became famous for her unique Batik painting style. In 1999, she won a big award called the Wynne Prize. She won it for her painting called Leaves at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. An Australian magazine, Art Collector, even called her "one of our most collectable indigenous artists." This means her art was very popular and many people wanted to own it.

After an art show in 1988, Gloria became a traveling artist. This show was held in Sydney. She then traveled all over the world to share her art and stories. She visited places like Ireland, England, India, and the U.S. to show her amazing paintings.

Gloria's Painting Style

Gloria Petyarre was known for her special way of painting. She often used a technique called batik. She was especially famous for her large paintings of leaves. She would mix colors right on her canvas and use big, wide brush strokes.

Gloria worked with her family in the Women's Batik Group. Her sister Kathleen Petyarre and her famous aunt, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, were also part of the group. Gloria's paintings, like "Bush Medicine," often used strong brush strokes and bold lines. She also created soft, feather-like strokes with bright colors. You can see this in her painting "Thorny Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming." Her art could show calm landscapes with natural colors or bright, vivid scenes with smaller, detailed strokes.

Gloria Petyarre's artwork is very special. You can find her paintings online and in important places like the National Gallery of Australia.

After 1977, Gloria lived in an outstation community in Utopia. This is where she started her batik painting. She showed her art in exhibitions all over Australia for ten years. In 1989, she helped start the "Summer Project." This project helped artists turn their batik designs into paintings on canvas. Gloria was one of the first members of this Utopia Women's Batik Group. She painted many different things, including her original "Leaves" subject. She also painted body designs and stories from the Dreamtime. These stories included images of pencil yams, bean plants, emus, and mountain devil lizards. Her paintings, whether they used one color or many, had clear sections filled with curved lines. Her style was known for its abstract shapes and bright, lively colors.

Family Life

Gloria Petyarre came from a very artistic family. She had six sisters, and all of them became famous artists around the world!

Passing Away

Gloria Petyarre passed away on June 8, 2021, in Alice Springs.

Where to See Her Art

You can find Gloria Petyarre's amazing artwork in many important collections:

• National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
• Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
• Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
• Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
• Allen, Allen and Hemsley
• Victorian Museum
• Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
• Westpac Collection, New York
• Gold Coast City Art Gallery
• Holmes à Court Collection
• Art Gallery of Ballarat