View Judy’s artwork here
Judy Watson Napangardi was born at Yaungkanji, Mt Doreen Station, at a time when most Warlpiri and other Central Desert Peoples were still living a traditional nomadic life.
With her family Judy made many trips on foot to her country and lived for many periods at Mina Mina and Yingipurlangu, her ancestral country on the border of the Tanami and Gibson Deserts.
These places are rich in bush tucker such as wanakiji, bush plums, yakajirri, bush tomatoes, and wardapi, sand goanna. Judy still frequently goes hunting in the country west of Yuendumu, near her homelands.
Judy Watson fisrt took up painting in 1986, originally being taught by her elder sister, noted artist Maggie Watson Napangardi (deceased).
Gradually, Judy and Maggie moved from the use of discreet dots in their paintings, to a drag and dot technique where the brush does not leave the canvas as they paint. Judy’s work is typical of many Warlpiri artists, in that she uses a very explosive array of colours. Judy’s work however has the appearance of utilizing the colour spectrum in such a way as to draw the viewer deeper into the artwork and to hold their gaze in a hypnotic fashion.
In her paintings, she depicts stories from her traditional country at Mina Mina such as Honey Ant, Hair String, Women, Kanakurlangu (Digging Stick), Snake Vine and Majardi (Hairstring Belt).
Judy Watson Napangardi is presently on the board of Warlurkurlangu Artists, the Warlpiri community art body based in Yuendumu where she lives with most of her 10 children.
In the Jan- Mar 2009 edition of the Art Collector magazine, Judy was voted one of the 50 Most Collectible Artists. She is now considered one of, if not “the” most significant living female Indigenous artist in Australia.