Janelle Stockman Napaltjarri passed away on the 21st November 2009.

Janelle was a very talented, up and coming new generation Aboriginal artist. New to the art scene, she began painting in 2001. Arnkawenyerr lies just outside of Urapuntja on Alyawarr lands but is still known as the Utopia region. Janelle divides her time here with her husband’s family (Mary, Lucky and Sarah Morton and Angelina Pwerle to name a few top artists) and her traditional home land at Hermannsburg and Papunya. Billy Stockman, who is famed for being one of the original members of the Papunya Tula artists, is Janelle’s grandfather.

Janelle's paintings have always been noted as very contemporary in style and colour. Her earliest works featured bold lineage, dot work and traditional concentric circles. However, Janelle wanted to do something totally different to everyone else; a new style. She drew up inspiration from a number of places; the landscape, a story from her past and her dream to be a famed artist like her grandfather; such that her works do not tell a story of her ancient Dreamtime but simply any expression of herself.

From the moment her designs surfaced, her work has been admired by many and featured in exhibitions nationally and internationally. Her work is also represented in Collections throughout Australia.

In April 2005 Janelle had her first solo exhibition, in May 2006 she visited Sydney for the first time for an exhibition featuring her sand hill paintings and her work has been shown throughout the USA. Sadly, Janelle's life was cut short but her paintings remain a legacy.

It is inappropriate to display an image of the artist and Central Art has removed the photograph out of respect to Aboriginal culture. - Naming of Aboriginal people who have passed on traditionally, this meant avoiding referring to the dead person by name directly after their death as a mark of respect — and also because it is considered too painful for the grieving family. Today the practice continues in many communities, but has also come to encompass avoiding the publication or dissemination of photography or film footage of the deceased person as well. (The 2008 film 'Australia', like many Australian television programs, includes a title card warning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to 'use caution viewing this film, as it may contain images or voices of dead persons,' presumably out of respect for the cultural beliefs of said viewers.)

The person can still be referred to in a roundabout way, such as, "that old lady", or by their generic skin name, but not by first name. In some Central Australian communities, if for example, a lady named Alice passes away, that name must be avoided in all contexts, so even Alice Springs needs to be referred to in conversation in a roundabout way (which is usually fine, as the Indigenous name can be reverted to). Those of the same name as the deceased are referred to by a substitute name during the avoidance period — Kuminjay is used in the Pintubi-Luritja dialect.