In this painting, Minnie Pwerle depicts the traditional body painting used during women’s ceremonies. The people of Utopia used body painting designs to mark ceremonial occasions, celebrating and depicting all aspects of traditional lore. Each clan has its own totem or dream story, and the body paint designs are usually the same for each image. Minnie Pwerle’s paintings typically feature body paint designs associated with the bush melon ceremonies, an important totem for Minnie. The design in this painting was applied to the arms and breasts of the woman participating in the ceremonies. Long ago, the paint was made from earth-colored ochre and resin, and charcoal and white ash from the campfire were also used. In today’s contemporary Aboriginal art paintings, acrylic paint has replaced these natural pigments, and the designs have become colorful, while still retaining the same basic forms.

Please note that all First Nations Art is created from a so called ‘Birds Eye’ view. This means that the paintings can be hung either horizontally as well as vertically.