Ellen Nampijinpa Haywood

Ellen was born at Alice Springs. She lived and grew up in Ali Curung and went to school in Ali Curung. Ellen went to Yirara College in Alice Springs . Ellen is a talented artist and she started painting at the young age of 15 years. Ellen sold her first painting to her school teacher. Ellen paints and is a singer/song writer. Before she started painting, Ellen did wood carving, made clapping sticks and jewellery made from ininti seeds found around the Ali Curung area. Comment from the artist about her work: When the land is dry the grass is also dry, it becomes into desert land, but when the rain comes it begin to give life to all living animals and birds. They come and make their home in the green desert land, where the water flows and the Rocky lands has water-holes people travelled from one place to another, where there is water in creeks, water-holes, billabongs and gullies. My paintings represent rainbows, rain clouds and rock-holes. There is also fire burning and the smoke becomes cloud at forms into rain clouds. In our language we call it Ngapa it means rain or water.