Gladys Kemarr Lewis

Gladys Kemarr Lewis is an emerging artist from Wutunugurra, she is the niece and granddaughter of leading artists Susie Peterson and Jessie Peterson respectively, both of whom have been crucial to the development of Wutunugurra’s Art Centre and the distinct style for which the community is known. Wutunugurra is nestled in the foothills of Iytwelepenty (the Davenport Ranges), its landscape is the linchpin of Gladys’ work. In Gladys’ playful paintings, the tiny wild flowers which blanket Iytwelepenty are magnified, dancing rhythmically across the canvas, haloed with bright line work which trace the loosely rendered shape of bush flowers in bold colour. Gladys’ work is a celebration of the simple beauty of Iytwelepenty, its wild flowers and their potent medicinal forces, of which she is very knowledgeable, often referring to the specific uses of flowers depicted in her work.