Bush Plum by Bessie Pitjara (Purvis Petyarre) - 108 x 198 cm (#BPP 010921)

Bush Plum by Bessie Pitjara (Purvis Petyarre) depicts Bush Plum Dreaming, Bessie's country (Antangker) located in the Utopia region of Central Australia. The wild bush plum (Santalum Lanceolatum) fruits are small and black and have important significance to Alyawarre women; they are highly nutritious and rich in vitamin C. During the summer women accompanied by children, collect fruits and perform ceremonies to reinforce their connection to the land. They also paint their bodies with Amwekety (bush plum) designs, sing and dance.

Bessie was born in 1960, she one of the senior custodians of this creaming, her mother Polly Kngale, is a famous artist. Bessie has depicted this story using a distinctive technique; she dips her brush in different colours, blending them together across the canvas. Country is seen from an aerial perspective, portraying the seasonal changes of the plant in various stages of growth.

Bessie's style, like her mothers, is impressionistic and lyrical. Her works are represented in Australian and overseas collections.