Artist Profile

Artist : DOREEN PAYNE PETYARRE
Born: c. 1954
Skin name: Petyarre (also spelled Petyarr or Pitjara)
Language: Alyawarr
Region: : Utopia Region
Dreaming: Tharrkarr

Doreen Payne Petyarre was married to the late Harold Payne Mpetyane and together they had six children Richard, Johnny, Jimmy and Laura.  Doreen lives with her children and their families at Mulga Bore in southern Utopia..

Doreen’s paintings often comprise of colourful patterns of tiny dots when describing her country, the Tharrkarr (Honey Grevillea) Dreaming or the Yerramp (Honey Ant) Story. Or bold linear work when illustrating women’s ceremonial body paint designs. Doreen’s stories come from her country Ngwarlerlanem in Utopia’s north west region.

Wooden sculptures of birds, lizards and people are also part of Doreen’s artistic repertoire; made using a tomahawk, rasp and file, then scraping the edges with broken glass to smooth the rough edges.