Ahakeye (Bush Plum)by Katie Rumble Petyarre

Katie Rumble Petyarre was born in 1960 at Utopia in Central Australia. Katie began painting in 1996 and is related to many of the well known and talented artists from the Utopia region.

Katie’s Dreaming relates to Anwekety or Bush Plum. This is an important Dreamtime story for the people of Utopia. The fruit of the Bush Plum is from a native Australian plant and is gathered by the Anmatyerre women, it is an important food source. The women will often pay homage to the spirit of the Bush Plum during ceremonies to ensure perpetual germination.

The painting that Central Art has available depicts the bush plum in its various stages of maturity – from flower to fruit. Katie uses a dotting technique to cover the canvas, using smaller fine dotting in white and yellow as the base of her painting followed by larger bolder dot work in blue, red and yellow. The overall effect creates an almost aerial view of the landscape with the bush plum scattered across, sometimes in clusters sometime more sparsely spread out.

Katie is a hobby artist who paints her traditional story as a cultural activity to remain connected to her country and heritage. Many Aboriginal people use painting as a new and modern way to pay homage to their ancestors and spirits as well as share this important and significant story with others.

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