My Mother's Country Stephen-nelson-tag From the early 1980s

From the early 1980s

When she finished school she returned to Nyirripi where she first worked at the Nyirripi store and then at the Childcare Centre

blankets and clothes

she took part in some painting workshops known as Women's Dreaming Project

strong colours

My Mother's Country Stephen-nelson-tag From the early 1980sIn many of Barbara Weirs paintings, long, tapering lines overlap gracefully to represent a grass once abundant at Utopia before cattle grazing was introduced in the early 20th century. Its botanical name is Portulaca oleracea. For thousands of years, this grass has been important to Aboriginal people because its small black seeds can be ground into flour. Rather than painting the seeds, Weir depicts the grass itself. Her colours show its natural