Anmatyerr artist Elizabeth Mbitjana Pitijana was born in 1970 in the Urapuntja (Utopia) region of the Northern Territory, northeast of Alice Springs. Her painting journey started from a young age, inspired by her family’s dreaming story of Arnwekety (bush plum). Encouraged by notable family members including her mother Kathleen Ngale, her father Motorbike Paddy Ngale, and her aunts Angelina Pwerle (Ngale) and Polly Ngale, Elizabeth draws on traditional techniques, with the development of her own distinctive style of white mark making upon stark black backgrounds. She subtly incorporates tones of red, yellow, and orange to represent the Arnwekety story. The story of Arnwekety has been passed on and continues in Elizabeth’s paintings today.

“Been painting a long time. Always bush plum, on grandfather and father’s country. That’s our dreaming, only bush plum. Green one, black one, red one. Come after the rain.”