BORN: c 1954
REGION: YUENDUMU, ALICE SPRINGS
LANGUAGE GROUP: WARLPIRI
View Margaret’s artwork here
Margaret Lewis Napangardi is a Warlpiri woman who was born in the mid 1950s on Mt Doreen Station, Northwest of Alice Springs.
Margaret is the sister of the famous artist, Dorothy Napangardi Robinson and daughter of ersteemed artist and senior law man, Paddy Lewis Japanangka.
In 1978 Margaret participated with other Yuendemu women in learning the art of Batik-making, an introduction many of the Western Desert artists began with.
When Margaret began painting, she quickly developed and evolved into many unique styles.
She depicts in her paintings he stories associated with her country Janyinki, including Honey Ant and Women Dreaming. Margaret was brought up traditionally in the bush in the Mina Mina area of the Warlpiri lands. This area and the dreamings associated with it, form part of the recurring themes in her paintings. Margaret now lives at Yuendumu about 300km northwest of Alice Springs with her skin sister Judy Watson Napangardi. Margaret’s style reflects the Warlpiri delight in adventurous combinations of colour and one can see the influences of Judy and her now deceased sister, Maggie Watson Napangardi, in her works.