Debra Nangala McDonald
Uwalki Watiya Tjuta with
Travelling Past Lake McDonald
Acrylic on Canvas
210cm x 204cm
2023
$6,500
This is a remarkable Dreaming of the Western Desert by Debra Nangala McDonald which was painted in-house at one Rundle Trading Co
Debra Nangala McDonald is a Pintupi artist, born at Papunya in 1963. Her family includes many artists, her mother Martha McDonald, her aunties Linda Syddick Napaltjarri and Wendy Napaltjarri and most importantly her Grandfather, Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi (circa. 1920 -
1987). Shorty was one of the founders of the Papunya Tula Art Collective established in the Western Desert in the 1970's. The family has a strong line of stories that relate to their experiences travelling great distances from the Gibson Desert to come into the desert settlements. The family group settled in the small communities at Haasts Bluff, Papunya and Mt Liebig during the 1940's.
Debra is the Custodian of the Two important Dreamings represented here.
The outer Story is Uwalki Watiya Tjuta, originally painted by Mitjili Napurrula . Debra became the new Custodian after Mitjili's passing.
The photograph below is of Debra and Mitjil painting together at one Rundle in 2016.
Uwalki Watiya Tjuta is a remarkably strong image representing the root of a Desert tree used for making spears. Uwalki refers to the area where the trees grow most prolifically and Watiya Tjuta is the tree itself, which is also known as a Mulga tree.
The central story on the canvas is a Dreaming of Shorty Lungkata, Debra's Grandfather.
Shorty is one of the earliest recorded Artists of the Western Desert. His work is well represented in important Collections of Indigenous Art Nationally and Internationally. Debra painted with Shorty as a young woman and is the Custodian of the majority of Shorty's Dreamings.
This Dreaming is known as "Travelling past Lake McDonald " and is a map of the tracks through the Desert in that area and the position of Water Holes.
Debra is the first Artist to combine these 2 important Dreamings. She first painted the combined Dreaming for one Rundle in November 2022.
