We, The Muse

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A wonderful discovery whilst in Australia.Artist spotlight: Jorna NewberryJorna Newberry (c.1959–2025) was a respected P...
10/17/2025

A wonderful discovery whilst in Australia.

Artist spotlight: Jorna Newberry

Jorna Newberry (c.1959–2025) was a respected Pitjantjatjara artist, born at Angus Downs in Central Australia. She divided her time between her Warakurna community at and Alice Springs.

Jorna was the niece of the late master painter Tommy Watson, whose influence on her practice was profound. Under his guidance, she learned to express her ancestral stories through her own distinct and elaborate style.

Beginning her artistic career in the mid-1990s at Warakurna, Jorna’s paintings centred on her country of Irrunytju in the Western Desert. Her works are rich with ancestral narratives and spiritual significance, mapping sacred sites and songlines connected to creation beings. Among her most recognised Dreamings is Ngintaka, the giant perentie lizard and a key ancestral figure for the Anangu Pitjantjatjara people. The Ngintaka songline, which travels across vast tracts of desert country, is one of the region’s major creation stories, embodying a profound connection between land, lore, and identity.

Jorna’s distinctive aesthetic combines restraint and complexity — she often used a refined palette of whites, creams, and earth tones over deep black grounds. The result is a sophisticated and contemporary visual language that retains strong cultural resonance. Her surfaces are built through layers of fine brushwork and intricate dot work.

Another of Jorna’s Dreamings is Walpa Tjukurpa — the Wind Dreaming — drawn from her mother’s country at Utantja, a region of hills, rock holes, and ceremonial sites. This story describes the creation of the winds that cool the land and assist in hunting.

Jorna Newberry’s work continues to be celebrated and we have access to a number of strong works for those interested.

Morning pamplemousse with (Untitled, 21014)
09/27/2025

Morning pamplemousse with (Untitled, 21014)

This precious work has a new custodian.Artist spotlight: Rosemary Petyarre (Pitjara) b. 1945This is a unique work by Ros...
09/22/2025

This precious work has a new custodian.

Artist spotlight: Rosemary Petyarre (Pitjara) b. 1945

This is a unique work by Rosemary. The Dreaming represented is the Bush Yam (Anaty). Lately she has been painting a style similar to her sister Jeannie, which captures the leaves and their movement, particularly during the rainy season when the yam plants grow vigorously, developing their leaves for photosynthesis to store energy in the tuber. In this work Rosemary chose to paint the delicate vein pattern of the leaves which transports the water and the nutrients. This leaf structure is the strongest part of the leaf, a botanical wonder! And a long and slow pattern to paint. It is a favourite of ours and a rare work of Rosemary’s.

Rosemary is a senior Anmatyerre artist from the Utopia region of Central Australia. She is the sister of celebrated artists Jeannie Petyarre, Evelyn Pultara, Greeny Purvis Petyarre, and Anna Price Petyarre, and cousin to a remarkable generation of painters including Gloria Petyarre, Kathleen Petyarre, Myrtle and Ada Bird Petyarre.

Rosemary’s Dreamings include the bush medicine leaves, yam Dreaming, and women’s ceremonial designs. Like her sisters, Rosemary began her artistic journey in the 1970s with the Utopia Women’s Batik Group, later transferring her designs to canvas in the 1980s. Her practice developed a distinctive and widely collected style, most recognised through her fine brushwork and rhythmic layering of linear forms that trace the leaves and seeds connected to the bush yam (Anaty). Her works often evoke movement and energy, with fields of flowing brushstrokes that carry both aesthetic beauty and deep cultural knowledge.

Rosemary is considered one of the important second-generation Utopia artists, carrying forward the Dreamings of her mother and aunts, including that of her famous relative Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

Over the decades, her works have been widely exhibited across Australia and internationally, with pieces held in private and institutional collections. She is a prolific artist and we have had the pleasure of placing her works in collections for 2 decades.

I am delighted to place this work in an international collection.Artist spotlight: Jeannie PitjaraJeannie Petyarre (Pitj...
09/04/2025

I am delighted to place this work in an international collection.

Artist spotlight: Jeannie Pitjara

Jeannie Petyarre (Pitjara) c.1951-2022) is a highly respected Anmatyerre artist from the Utopia region of Central Australia. Her sisters are Greeny Purvis Petyarre, Evelyn Pultara, Rosemary Petyarre, and Anna Price Petyarre. She is the cousin to the highly regarded artists Gloria Petyarre, Nancy Kunoth Petyarre, Myrtle Petyarre, Kathleen Petyarre, Violet Petyarre, Ada Bird Petyarre, and Jean Petyarre.

Jeannie’s Dreamings include the desert yam, women’s ceremonies, and the flowers and seeds of the Anaty. The bush yam Dreaming is shared by several other Utopia artists, including her aunt, renowned artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye, currently showing at the Tate UK. Jeannie inherited the yam Dreaming from her mother, and like many women of her generation, Jeannie began her artistic journey in the 1970s, when the women of Utopia first experimented with silk batik techniques. She has since created her own much-loved distinctive style on canvas using a distinct brushstroke for dot detailing and subtle colour shades to represent the complex details of the Anaty flower and seeds (the desert yam).

Finding quality works by Jeannie Petyarre has become more challenging. If you’re specifically seeking high-quality, reputable works, the most reliable approach now is to reach out directly to trusted galleries or dealers who specialise in Utopia artists. They may have off-market or private holdings, such as this beauty - and can guide you toward authenticated, well-executed works.

Another sourced work: that deep colour similar to the dust of the central Australian desert is appealing to collectors. ...
06/25/2025

Another sourced work: that deep colour similar to the dust of the central Australian desert is appealing to collectors. Whilst not necessarily typical of the palette of the 3 artists that I have showcased during the week, they are most certainly standout works.

Artist Spotlight: Mitjili Napurrula

Mitjili Napurrula (c.1945–2019) developed a bold, graphic painting style that remains instantly recognisable. Her market presence reflects a steady interest from collectors, particularly for large-scale works with strong compositional clarity.

Her record price at auction was achieved in 2004, when Uwalki: Watiya Tjuta, a three-metre canvas originally commissioned by Mason Gallery, sold for AUD26,400 at Lawson~Menzies. Interestingly, Mitjili’s auction average remains modest, with many small-scale works on the secondary market selling for exceptionally reasonable prices. Mitjili chose to paint for a number of dealers outside of a traditional art centre, which I believe should be the artist’s choice, but the secondary market works in a way where auction houses wish to be reassured of authenticity and quality, and as such, dealers depend upon the art centres to guarantee this. Although this is debatable (and controversial), the reality is, provenance is everything and one does need to be cautious about the work. Acquiring her work through a reputable dealer is a sure way to secure a work worthy of its investment.

Mitjili ranks among the top 100 Australian Indigenous artists by volume since the mid-1990s.

Friend and artist ‘s highly anticipated book, « Last Artist Standing: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life over 50 » i...
06/24/2025

Friend and artist ‘s highly anticipated book, « Last Artist Standing: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life over 50 » is here!

Sharon will embark on a two-year national and international book tour beginning in September 2025, so please look her up and add yourself to her mailing list to be advised of her programme.

I had the privilege of reading the book and contributing to the testimonies, which was a real honour for me. Particularly as the book also contains the story of We, The Muse member and mentor who continues to be a great inspiration for us and the community she created for American Filipino artists.

Well done Sharon! Kudos for always striving to give vital voice (and visibility) to practicing visual artists.

Still sourcing work, this one from Kathleen Petyarre.Artist Spotlight: Kathleen Petyarre (c. 1940–2018)Another leading f...
06/23/2025

Still sourcing work, this one from Kathleen Petyarre.

Artist Spotlight: Kathleen Petyarre (c. 1940–2018)

Another leading figure in Australian Indigenous art, Kathleen Petyarre rose to prominence with her meticulous, atmospheric dot works rooted in ancestral stories and deep connection to country. Her acclaimed « Mountain Devil Dreaming » works cemented her status in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Kathleen’s auction record reached new heights in 2006 when her monumental 2001 painting « Mountain Devil Dreaming » sold for AUD240,000 — a benchmark for a female Australianan Indigenous artist at the time. Yet, like many artists of her generation, the secondary market is elective. Top results are tied to works of scale, precision, and strong provenance. Her best paintings are subtle, meditative, and rich with spiritual narrative — and they continue to resonate with collectors and institutions globally.

Sourced this large scale beauty for a client collection.Artist Spotlight: Lilly Kelly NapangardiA standout female artist...
06/20/2025

Sourced this large scale beauty for a client collection.

Artist Spotlight: Lilly Kelly Napangardi

A standout female artist from Mount Leibig, Lilly Kelly Napangardi has been carving a steady path since 2000, with all of her top 10 auction results coming from this period. While peers like Ngoia Pollard and Wentja Napaltjarri are acclaimed in the primary market, Kelly stands out in the secondary.

Her most valuable work, Sandhills Around Mount Leibig (2004), sold for $39,600 — far above its estimate — marking her as a standout among collectors. Her auction presence grew in the mid-2000s, with a steady clearance rate of 63%. Larger-scale pieces dominate her market, and while resale is limited, her top works are prized for their spatial elegance and visual rhythm.

Collectors: provenance is important. Not all works can or will be accepted for resale. If you would like professional advice in choosing a strong work that comes from ethical sources, get in touch.

Back at the market mothership
06/19/2025

Back at the market mothership

This NOvember: We, The Muse is embracing SOCIAL SILENCE. We encourage you to join us.WTM will provide a co-working envi...
10/31/2024

This NOvember: We, The Muse is embracing SOCIAL SILENCE.

We encourage you to join us.

WTM will provide a co-working environment where, for a month, we will avoid the Gram entirely -

We will FOCUS our attention instead on the stuff that really matters: our practice, our people, and replace scroll time with things that WILL have an impact - leaning in on our existing connections, reconnecting, strategising opportunities differently.

We will meet weekly to discuss how that is evolving, our progress, our feedback, our experiences, our ideas, our fears, our distress? Our plans.

To evolve.

Any artist can join by using .

Any artist can join the Weekly Sessions if they are a member. For non-members the cost to be included in the Weekly Sessions is CHF18 for the entire month - why the cost? The conversations will be run on our private platform (which is not free), rather than on a « free » social media platform 😉

Time to think independently and work differently. 💪

Image: Copyright and courtesy Dorothée Baumann

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