Ursula Napangardi Hudson, Pikilyi Jukurrpa (Vaughan Springs Dreaming), 30x30cm
Original Work of Art (they all are!)
Certified by Community Art Centre
Fast & Free Delivery
120 Day Returns
Authenticity Guarantee
Colour Correct Images
1510+ Reviews
- Details
- Artwork
- Artist
- Aboriginal Artist - Ursula Napangardi Hudson
- Community - Nyirripi
- Aboriginal Art Centre - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
- Catalogue number - 2347/20ny
- Materials - Acrylic on pre-stretched canvas
- Size(cm) - H30 W30 D3.5
- Postage variants - Artwork posted stretched and ready to hang
- Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished
Pikilyi is a large and important waterhole and natural spring near Mount Doreen station. Pikilyi Jukurrpa (Vaughan Springs Dreaming) tells of the home of two rainbow serpents, ancestral heroes who lived together as man and wife. The woman ‘rainbow serpent’ was of the Napanangka skin group, the man was a Japangardi. This was a taboo relationship contrary to Warlpiri religious law. Women of the Napanangka and Napangardi subsection sat by the two serpents, picking lice off them. For this service, the two serpents allowed the women to take water from the springs at Pikilyi. This was because the serpents were the ‘kirda’, or ceremonial owners, for that country. The spirits of these two rainbow serpents are still at Pikilyi today. This Dreamings belongs to the women and men of the Japanangka/Napanangka and Japangardi/Napangardi skin groups.
Ursula Napangardi Hudson was born in 1962 in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. Ursula attended the local school. When she finished she did odd jobs before marrying Mika Hudson, a pastor in Nyirripi, where she has lived ever since. Nyirripi is located a further 150 kms west-south west of Yuendumu. She has three children and six grandchildren.
Ursula has been painting with Walukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, since 1993. The Art Centre makes regular visits to Nyirripi to drop off canvas, paint and brushes for the artists and to collect finished artwork. When Ursula was young she would watch her Aunty, Daisy Napanangka Nelson (Circa 1930 – 2002), paint. “She taught us to paint. I wanted to paint, to teach my kids when they grew up. Tell them the stories, tell the bush tucker stories when they go hunting.”
Ursula paints her father’s Yuparli Jukurrpa (Bush Banana Dreaming) and Pikilyi Jukurrpa (Vaughan Springs Dreaming), which her Aunty taught her and her mother’s Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming). These dreamings have been passed down the generations for millennia and relate directly to the land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. Ursula uses an unrestricted palette to develop a modern interpretation of her traditional culture.
On weekends, when Ursula is not painting she likes to go hunting for honey ants and goanna.
Art You’ll Love to Own
Your original artwork will arrive promptly, just as shown online—colour-accurate, carefully packed, and with an authenticity certificate from a community-based art centre. Plus, enjoy free insured delivery and a 120-day return policy for a confident, seamless, and ethical purchase.
Authenticity You Can Trust
Only certificates from community-based Aboriginal art centres guarantee ethical sourcing. Every ART ARK® piece includes this authentic documentation. Learn more about Aboriginal Art Authenticity.
Framing Aboriginal Art
To keep pricing transparent, we deliver artworks as they come to us—unframed and priced in accordance with each art centre. Canvas and linen pieces are rolled for easy re-stretching at your local framer. Bark paintings and smaller items from our Stretched Desert Paintings collection arrive ready to hang. Watercolours should be framed behind glass, either custom or pre-made. Learn more about Framing Aboriginal Art.
Kind Words
Our customers love our fast deliveries, the accuracy of our images, and our ethical business model. See our Customer Reviews to learn more.
Worldwide Delivery
Shipping from Launceston, Tasmania (Lutruwita), to your doorstep, wherever you are. For international orders under $500 AUD, a $30 AUD postage fee applies; otherwise, shipping is free.