Wayne Stewart Tjupurrula

Wayne Stewart Tjupurrula (Deceased, 1953 – May 2012) was born in 1953. His parents, Isabella and Kenny Stewart, are from the Atherton Table Region in Queensland. Both of his parents were artists and taught Wayne the traditional stories of the region, including the important ‘Water Dreamings’.

At the age of seventeen, Wayne moved to the Northern Territory. He inherited the stories of the Arrente people from his family including his artistically renowned aunt, Janet Nala Forrester. Janet taught Wayne the unique double-dotting technique that has made her work famous. Wayne Stewart is the only other artist to paint in this distinctive style.

Wayne is most known for his diverse repertoire of stories reflecting his inheritance of Water and Desert Dreamings; important bush foods, including depictions of the bush banana plant with its radiating vines. The bush banana is an edible bush fruit. Sometimes depicted with a grouping of seven central circles representing Mulga trees and also connecting to another important Dreaming; The Milky Way and the Seven Sisters Dreaming. Lightning Dreaming depicts the vivid desert storms and connects him to his Father’s Dreamings.