Mary was born at Garden Point (Pirlangimpi) in 1935. A week after her birth, she moved with her father and mother to the Bathurst Mission. Her mother, Nellie Kantilla, worked in domestic service and on the farm at the Catholic Mission. Her father was Tom Palay Apuatimi.  He worked in the public service in Darwin…

Pius Tipungwuti has a long history working as an artist at Jilamara Arts and Crafts. He remains a strong leader in governance being an early influence in the development of the art centre and has held the positions of President, Public Officer and Treasurer. His tutini (pukumani poles) can be found around the world from…

“I like doing my painting. The truth is, I’m a bit restless and it’s hard to get to sleep at night. Doing my painting helps me relax.” –Tina Patlas Tina Patlas began painting for Jilamara Arts and Craft Association in 2002. Although Tina’s traditional country spans areas of south west Melville Island and south east…

Connie began painting at Jilamara Arts in 2010. She is known for painting the Tiwi creation story of Purukapali, Bima (Wai-ai) & Japara. Connie also paints imagery depicting bush tucker both flora and fauna, found on the Tiwi Islands. She is a strong Tiwi woman, who passes on important Tiwi cultural knowledge to her five…

Fiona lives in Milikapiti raising her young son Jayden. When Jayden is at school Fiona likes to paint at Jilamara where she has been a member artist since 2016. Fiona says, “I like making paintings in the Tiwi way but also in my own way. I like painting bush tucker from the land and the…

Geraldine learns from the older people about Tiwi culture so that when she gets old she can pass it on to her grandchildren. Her motifs include traditional designs from the older and experienced artists, bush tucker and the native flora and fauna that inhabit the Tiwi Islands. To paint the “mother lines” Geraldine uses the…

Conrad Tipungwuti has been painting and creating limited edition prints at Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association since the late 1990’s. Alongside Timothy Cook, Conrad is part of the Ngawa Mantawi (all of us together) program at Jilamara – a program that supports artists with special needs to have successful careers in the arts while remaining…