Issuu

JANET DREAMER

Front: Old Flora Valley Station (Wungu –waterlilies and birds)

2019, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm

Left: Lugangarna (Palm Springs), WA.

Over: Janet Dreamer, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, 2019

In partnership with Yarliyil Art Centre August 26-September 7, 2025 My Country Stays in My Dreams JANET

©Susan McCulloch, Yarliyil Arts

Reidy

©The artists

by Artitja Fine Art

JANETDREAMER 1959-2021

My Country Stays in My Dreams

The late Kimberley Jaru painter Janet Dreamer was a unique artist.

Growing up at her birthplace of old Flora Valley Station east of Halls Creek in the 1960s, Janet Dreamer and her five siblings hunted, fished and travelled with their elders, learning of traditional life. Later, she moved to Kirkimbie Station as a kitchen worker and had two children, then to Billiluna Station and eventually to Halls Creek.

Although Janet Dreamer started painting at the age of 16 under her father’s tutelage, it was only much later, after she joined Yarliyil Arts at Halls Creek in 2013, that she started painting in earnest and with her own vision. And what a vision it was.

Known affectionately as ‘Dreamer’, her vibrantly coloured canvases with their free imagery and sizzling hues bring to life an extraordinary range of flora, wildlife and water life of Old Flora Valley Station, the lush oasis of nearby Palm Springs (Lugangarna) and that which she observed on the many journeys she called ‘walkabout’ over vast tracks of Jaru country from Derby to Halls Creek.

“My country”, she said, “stays in my dreams. I dream about my home, and I don’t forget about my country.”

At Yarliyil Arts, Dreamer was an artistic dynamo as she painted ceaselessly for hours on end. Art centre staff had never experienced anything like either her artistic style – a seamless blend of naive figuration and abstraction – or her prodigious output.

First, she would set down her main subject (typically fauna, birds, flora or water life), then semi obscure them with sweeps of luminous colours and patterns.

A number of paintings were snapped up by art centre visitors, but recognising their quality and significance, Yarliyil Arts started putting a selection aside for gallery exhibitions.

However, in 2020, the advent of Covid derailed most of the planned shows. Sadly, Mrs Dreamer’s health also declined, and she passed away in hospital in Darwin in 2021, leaving a substantial body of work.

Dreamer was a finalist in Perth’s prestigious John Stringer Prize 2022 (in a posthumous tribute) and three works were acquired by the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

Joyous paintings of boundless energy, Dreamer’s works are characterised by brilliant colouration and a fresh, art naif style. In their depictions of often now rare wildlife, ceremonial practices and creation ancestors, Dreamer’s detailed, image-rich works are of both great artistic merit and profound cultural significance – offering first-hand insight into an all but forgotten world.

This exhibition continues a national exhibition programme of Dreamer’s works by Everywhen Art in partnership with Yarliyil Arts to accord this unique artist and her extraordinary paintings the recognition she and her work so richly deserve.

MAIN THEMES OF DREAMER’S WORKS

1. Her mother’s country Old Flora Valley Station (Wungu) Dreamer said that her mother was born ‘in a little creek near the homestead’. “My mum was also raised out there, she walked that country with the old people from there, they also taught her the language, culture and traditional ways of living as they would often have to hunt for their food. I paint the two main ranges and the three rivers – Black Elvire, Fox and Johnston and the creek where her mother was born”.

2. Palm Springs (Lugangarna)

A lush waterhole and natural oasis on Old Flora Station in which she depicts a myriad of fish, turtles and other water life, as well as the surrounding lush vegetation.

3. Walkabout

An ever-unfolding array of flora and fauna and often, the creation stories that lay behind, these, which Janet had observed on her many travels through her extensive lands between Derby and Halls Creek. The word ‘walkabout’ was a term given by colonialists to the travels of First Nations peoples across their lands. The word implies that such journeys were random, unstructured, and wandering without purpose. To the contrary, the great majority of travels were extremely purposeful, planned and often undertaken annually. They included seasonal trips to places when particular plants were in flower, and/or seeding; to find and maintain the clarity of rockholes and other water sources; to visit and pay homage to creation sites and to conduct and fulfill initiation and many other ceremonial duties. Dreamer’s works frequently combine both the secular and sacred. As a landscapist she captured flora such as the grasses and trees, in the changing lights of dawn and dusk and the scenery and water life of Fox, Elvire and Johnston rivers. As a traditional woman she referenced ancestral stories and creation beings whether of human, animal or plant form.

Janet Dreamer, Yarliyil Arts, 2017

This painting depicts the springs at Tabletop just off the Duncan Highway. All the animals such as freshwater crocodile, birds, turtles, ducks and lizards are found in this area.

| $2800

Spring Water at Tabletop

2019, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm

ART-MM7606

This painting depicts birds at Fox River. Through the top of painting witchetty grubs are also seen. There is also a crocodile swimming downstream, and a turkey near rocks at the river.

Walkabout – Fox River

(birds, witchetty grubs, crocodiles, bush turkey)

2019, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm

ART-MM7615 | $5400

This painting depicts the area where Janet’s mother was born at old Flora Valley Station (Wungu). She was born in a little creek near the homestead. Her mother was also raised out there, – walking the Country with the old people. They also taught her the language, culture and traditional ways of living as they would often have to hunt for their food. In this painting there are the two main ranges, the three rivers, Black Elvire, Fox and Johnson River. The creek at the bottom is where her mother was born.

My Mother’s Country –

Old Flora Valley Station (Wungu) 2021, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm ART-MM7634 | $5400

This painting depicts Mungil Plains. Near Cattle Creek Bore there is la lot of mungari (bush food) and wildlife. There are bats, goanna, emu and blanket (frilled neck) lizards with lots of little watermelons on the ground.

2019, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 120 cm

ART-MM7638 | $4200

Mungil Plains

This painting depicts two birds flying away from their mungari (food) on Mungil Plain because they heard somebody coming.

(two birds flying away)

acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm

ART-MM7640 | $2800

Walkabout

2019,

This painting depicts certain rocks on Janet’s country. They look red but when you crack them open they have a different pattern.The painting also shows the surrounding wildlife and flora.

This painting depicts the creation story of the Greedy Brolga who wouldn’t share bush onions and bush peanuts with the Snake. They were arguing over the bush tucker, but Brolga kept nudging at Snake to go away. The Kangaroo was watching the commotion from a distance away. This story is from Old Flora Valley Station (Wungu).

The Greedy Brolga 2020, acrylic

This painting depicts the wildlife at Ridley’s Gorge – fish (perch), and the bones that are left at campsites. There are also a number of different birds at Ridley’s Gorge, and a large python that is searching for food. The central figure of this story is a creation ancestor from the Flora Valley region.

Flora Valley-Ridley’s Gorge with birds, animals and ancestral figure

2019, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm

ART-MM7651 | $2800

This painting is about Janet’s Country –Old Flora Valley Station (Wungu).

Walkabout (My Country)

2019, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm

ART-MM7652 | $2800

This painting depicts Old Flora Valley Station (Wungu) and all the springs found in this country. Along the bottom of the painting are waterlilies and birds going down to the water to have a drink. Kangaroos are found looking for manguri and water. Also depicted are the many plants, trees and vegetation found in this area.

2019, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm ART-MM7655 | $5400

Old Flora Valley Station (Wungu) –waterlilies and birds

This painting depicts two bush turkeys. The mother is flying off to to get some water or mungari (food) to take back to the baby turkey.

ART-MM7656 | $2800

Walkabout – bush turkeys and mungari (bush tucker)

2018, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm

This painting depicts what one might see when travelling (walkabout) around Palm Springs on Mungil Plain. Near the old station you will find a windmill and bore. Up the top is Blue Hole – two big rock holes. When you climb up the hill and look down you see the waterholes.

Walkabout at Palm Springs

2018, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm

ART-MM7658 | $2800

This painting depicts two kookaburras that live at Palm Springs.

Walkabout – Two Kookaburras

2018, acrylic on linen, 70 x 30 cm

ART-MM7659 | $1400

This painting shows the variety of wildlife on Fox River (Jaru Country) near the Duncan Highway.

ART-MM7660 | $1900

Walkabout on Fox River

2019, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 45 cm

This painting depicts Flora Valley. On Table Top country there are two big waterholes where you will see kangaroos and birds eating the gum of the trees. There is lots of bush tucker up here if you know where to look.

Walkabout at Flora Valley

2018, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm

ART-MM766 | $5400

This painting depicts Flora Valley. Lily Flowers grow there as well as bush tucker, such as peanuts, and there are many goannas, crocodiles and birds.

ART-MM7664 | $1900

Lilies and bush tucker at Flora Valley

2018, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 45 cm

This painting depicts Flora Valley. You can see a variety of lily flowers in the water. Down the stream you can see all the fish and birds and there is a lot of bush peanuts around too.

Lilies at Wungu (Old Flora Valley)

2018, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm

ART-MM7738 | $5400

This painting depicts brolgas at No. 7 Bore midway between Nicholson Station and Flora Valley Station. Along the bottom of the painting are waterholes, depicted in bright red, green and light blue circles. In the middle, bright yellow, brown and red concentric circles depict the grasses in the area. Along the top of painting the dark blue, green and white circles describe the hills and stones in this region.

Brolgas looking for Mungari

2019, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 30 cm

ART-MM7741 | $1400

Bushtucker at Old Flora Valley Station (Wurngu)

2016, acrylic on canvas, 121 x 91 cm

ART-MM7750 | $5400

This painting depicts the White Cockatoo and the Brolga. The White Cockatoo is singing out trying to hunt other birds away. The young Brolga is looking for bush foods to eat.

The White Cockatoo and Brolga

2019, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm

ART-MM7757

$2800

This painting depicts the journeys Janet called ‘walkabout’ – annual travels on her country during the wet season. Here, she has depicted the spirit of a female creation ancestor who resides in a sacred cave near water and rocks. She said that the spirit “sings out when she goes looking mungari (food)”.

Janet also said “in this painting you can see a little child hidden in a cave. The child’s mother would leave it there and go hunting for food. That baby is high up in the cave, all safe and sound. There is a creation era freshwater crocodile living in that place. He went there during the Dreamtime. He’s been there a long, long time. He comes out in the rain time, when it floods. He’s a quiet one. If he sees anyone he will slide down to the water and disappear. But you know that lady? The one that hides her baby up high in the cave. She’s a quiet lady and sometimes she sees that crocodile in the early evening when she gets back from hunting and gathering bush foods. I used to see that crocodile too when I was young. You had to be really quiet, couldn’t make a big noise. Quiet, quiet.”

Walkabout –ancestral spirit and chil

2018, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 60 cm

ART-MM7762 | $3200

This painting depicts Flora Valley at Bore

There are little rock holes with two birds looking around for mungari (food) and having a drink.

#3.

Walkabout at Bore #3

Flora Valley

2018, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 50 cm

ART-MM7764 | $1800