Elizabeth Kunoth Kngwarray has been selected as a finalist in this year’s John Leslie Art Prize for Landscape at Gippsland Art Gallery. The judges made the final choice of 50 paintings from 455 entries focussing on the general theme of landscape. Elizabeth’s painting, Yam Seeds depicts the seeds from the bush yam, whose flowers, leaves and seeds are important in her country in Utopia, N.T. for both food and medicine. During the brief flowering of the plant, the desert is brightened by a tapestry of colour and the wind through the leaves produces a captivating sense of movement. Elizabeth covers her canvas in tiny, meticulous flicks of colour, giving a shimmering effect in both colour and movement. Elizabeth is the daughter of Nancy Petyarr, one of the celebrated Petyarr sisters and has been painting for around 20 years. She has been a finalist in the Wynne Prize, AGNSW and is represented in the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of South Australia.
