Marie Abbott, Finke Gorge National Park, 54x36.5cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Marie Abbott
• Community - Hermannsburg
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre
• Catalogue number - WACNGUR10MRA10437
• Materials - Watercolour on watercolour board
• Painted Size(cm) - H36.5 W54
• Postage variants - Artwork posted flat and unframed
• Orientation - As displayed

Landscape of the Finke Gorge National Park.

Marie is the daughter of Arthur and Katie (nee Uburtja) Abbott. She grew up in Ntaria (The Hermannsburg mission). Her brother the late Clem Abbott was a highly respected watercolourist from the Hermannsburg School of art. 

In her earlier work Marie was strongly influenced by landscape paintings from the Hermannsburg School of Art.  Her brother suggested that she should paint in her own style. She then had some years of experimentation; as an established artist she mastered both watercolour and acrylic techniques. In the years 1993 to 1996 Marie developed a naturalistic style of landscapes using acrylic paints. She also focused on painting birds of the region in her landscapes. Since 1996 the subject of her work has been illustrating bush foods and women’s gathering, using symbolic designs and dot painting. Since 2007 Marie joined the art centre and begun to paint landscapes of the Hermannsburg tradition once again, alongside artists from the watercolour movement.

Marie painted a large mural at the Aboriginal Birthing Centre in Alice Springs. She is a registered Aboriginal Health worker and studied Aboriginal Health at Batchelor College. From 2012 and through to 2017 Marie has been representing the art centre and facilitating watercolour painting masterclasses to visitors of the Darwin Art Fair (DAAF). Marie is currently studying art at the Batchelor institute and now lives in Palmerston, NT

Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre is proudly Aboriginal owned and directed. It is the home of the Namatjira watercolour artists. The Art Centre was established by Ngurratjuta/Pmara Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation and started operating in 2004, as a not-for-profit Art Centre to provide a place for Arrernte Artists to come together to paint, share and learn new techniques and ideas. The Art Centre is strongly committed to improving economic participation of Aboriginal people and maintaining cultural heritage.

Iltja Ntjarra has a special focus on supporting the ‘Hermannsburg School’ style watercolour artists, who continue to paint in the tradition of their grandfather and relative, Albert Namatjira, arguably one of Australia’s most famous artists of the 20^th century. Albert Namatjira taught his children to follow in his unique style, who have since passed this knowledge on to their children, which has resonated in a legacy of watercolour artists in the Central Desert region. By continuing his legacy, these artists sustain an important piece of living history.

Iltja Ntjarra is proud of its ethical work practices and aims to return the greatest possible percentage of sales to the artist.

In June 2016, Iltja Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation (ICN 8426) was newly incorporated by the Arrernte Artists associated with the Art Centre and in August 2016, the Ngurratjuta/Pmara Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation transferred the not-for-profit Art Centre business to Iltja Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation.

Iltja Ntjarra acknowledges the role of Ngurratjuta/Pmara Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation to the establishment and development of the Art Centre and thanks it for its ongoing support.

The things that are most important to us are:

• The watercolour painting style
• The watercolour painting style
• To welcome all landscape artists to paint with us
• To welcome and encourage youth to paint with us
• To pass down stories about our country and culture
• To teach about the legacy of the Hermannsburg School of Watercolour art movement
• To tell stories of learning from our grandfather and relative Albert Namatjira
• To support and keep culture strong
• To promote the effective and ethical sale of artworks
• To provide increased economic benefit directly to the artists through sales, professional development, exhibitions and marketing

Test courtesy, Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre