Woolwoolyi Hills, 1996

72 x 99 cm

Est. $7,000 – $9,000

Hammer $8,000

Provenance: Burrinja Gallery, Vic Fireworks Gallery, Qld, Cat No. FW3680 Cooee Art Gallery, NSW, Cat No. 20205 Private Collection, Qld Private Collection, NSW
Artwork story: Queenie McKenzie began her life of cooking for the stockmen, tending and riding horses, and journeying as they drove cattle across the vast pastoral region of the north. She was the first woman to gain prominence in the East Kimberley painting movement, inspiring other women to become involved and to embrace their 'women's law business' of which she was a respected custodian. Often she would recreate the country of her youth. Her birthplace and its geographical location in relation to Blackfella's Creek; the large termite mound that was small when she was a child but grew bigger and bigger throughout her life; the hills of Rosewood Station where she had worked as a cook for the Aboriginal stockmen; Old Texas Station where men would collect white quartz used for spear heads; Corella, Echidna, and Bowerbird Dreaming sites and many more. Her manner was always decisive and vigorous, reflecting her belief in the importance of maintaining her culture and recording its history. This included the brutal massacres of her people, long remembered in their oral history.

Click to enlarge

Sale 1 · Lot 21

c.1915 – 1998

72 x 99 cm

Est. $7,000 – $9,000

Hammer $8,000

Provenance: Burrinja Gallery, Vic Fireworks Gallery, Qld, Cat No. FW3680 Cooee Art Gallery, NSW, Cat No. 20205 Private Collection, Qld Private Collection, NSW
Artwork story: Queenie McKenzie began her life of cooking for the stockmen, tending and riding horses, and journeying as they drove cattle across the vast pastoral region of the north. She was the first woman to gain prominence in the East Kimberley painting movement, inspiring other women to become involved and to embrace their 'women's law business' of which she was a respected custodian. Often she would recreate the country of her youth. Her birthplace and its geographical location in relation to Blackfella's Creek; the large termite mound that was small when she was a child but grew bigger and bigger throughout her life; the hills of Rosewood Station where she had worked as a cook for the Aboriginal stockmen; Old Texas Station where men would collect white quartz used for spear heads; Corella, Echidna, and Bowerbird Dreaming sites and many more. Her manner was always decisive and vigorous, reflecting her belief in the importance of maintaining her culture and recording its history. This included the brutal massacres of her people, long remembered in their oral history.