Emily Kame Kngwarreye Quotes on Art

Emily Kame Kngwarreye is a famous Australian Aboriginal painter. She is an Anmatyerre artist best known for her bold, contemporary-looking paintings that were actually steeped in the tradition and history of her people. Famous Emily Ngwarray or Emily Kame Kngwarreye works include “Awelye”, “Bush Yam Dreaming”, “Earth’s Creation”, “Anwerlarr Angerr (Big yam)”, “Ntange Dreaming”, “The Alhalkere suite”, and many artworks were simply “Untitled”.

Mini biography: Born Emily Kame Kngwarreye in 1910 in Alhalkere, Utopia, Northern Territory, Australia. Kngwarreye never started painting with acrylic on canvas until 1988 but she had painted for ceremonial purposes much her life and started painting on fabric using the Batik technique in 1977. The artist died on the 3rd of September, 1996 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia at the age of either 85 or 86.

List of Emily Kame Kngwarreye Art Quotes

My eyesight deteriorated as I got older, and because of that I gave up batik on silk – it was better for me to just paint. Emily Kame Kngwarreye

We didn’t have any tents — we lived in shelters made of grass. When it was raining the grass was roughly thrown together for shelter. That was in the olden time, a long time ago. Emily Kame Kngwarreye

I finally got sick of it. I didn’t want to continue with the hard work batik required – boiling the fabric over and over, lighting fires, and using up all the soap powder, over and over. That’s why I gave up batik and changed over to canvas – it was easier. Emily Kame Kngwarreye

I did batik at first, and then after doing that I learned more and more and then I changed over to painting for good. Then it was canvas. I gave up on fabric to avoid all the boiling to get the wax out. I got a bit lazy. I gave it up because it was too much hard work. Emily Kame Kngwarreye

Emily Kame Kngwarreye Portrait

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