Benita Clements

Benita is the daughter of artist Gwenda Namatjira and great granddaughter of Albert Namatjira. She paints her country both in dot paintings depictions and watercolours. Benita also paints figurative images of her family and their learning of the watercolour painting tradition. Benita is teaching her husband, Ricky Connick the painting skill. She often comes to Ngurratjuta Many Hands art centre to learn from the elders and get inspiration from old photographs and stories.

In her own words: I paint the current and old Namatjira Family and the old days in Ntaria. For example, I painted my uncle Kevin Namatjira while he painted his family in Hermannsburg at the Cafe, at the Hermannsburg Precinct. I also painted Lenie Namatjira, my aunty teaching her grandchildren Carissa & Kiara Malthouse at Hermansburg how to paint in watercolours. I paint stories that I have been told or that I see in pictures from the old days. For instance, how water was sourced from the creek, Western Arrarnta people were getting water for their families in buckets. I paint people & children from the community painting out bush near the Finke River. I always paint my country in the background, being the West MacDonnell ranges and Mt Hermannsburg.