BORN: 12 AUGUST 1959
REGION: WALUNGURRU (KINTORE)- NORTHERN TERRITORY
LANGUAGE GROUP: PINTUPI
View Elizabeth’s artwork here
Elizabeth Marks helped her husband, Mick Namerari Tjapaltjarri, with some of his paintings; and, since his death in 1998, became an artist in her own right. She was born in Papunya, and raised by her world renowned , step-father artist, Turkey Tolson (deceased) and her uncle, Johnny Warrankula. Both men were founding members of the Papunya Tula movement.
Elizabeth studied at the Bachelor College in Alice Springs for three years and served as a council member for Kintore for a few years. Her work focuses on the stories taught to her by her family.
Elizabeth is mainly known for her artworks, which use one colour, with a contrasting lighter hue, on a black background. The straight lines are made up of dragged dots, and are drawn at ninety degrees to each other to build retreating and advancing line-tunnels. Elizabeth Marks Nakamarra paintings, (as do many artists of the desert regions) revolve around the Dream Time, when a huge storm caused lightning to flash and the water torrent formed the landscape creating rock holes and creeks. Her paintings incorporate elements of the storm, lightening, flash flooding, important rock holes, soaks and creeks.
Elizabeth has become one of the DESERT ART CENTRES closest friends and, when in the Western Desert region, we almost always stay with Elizabeth and her clan at Kintore.