![Australian Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) artwork by DALLAS SMYTHE of Maruku Arts. The title is Ironstone Pebble Country I & II (The Rirra). [WB882-20 & WB879-20] (Burnt Etching on Plywood)](https://media.redotgallery.com/stockroom/gallery/i/ironstone-pebble-country-i-ii-the-rirra-5709-LARGE.png)
WB882-20 & WB879-20 (2020)
Burnt Etching on Plywood
Ironstone Pebble Country I & I… | WB882-20 & WB879-20
Burnt Etching on Plywood
120 x 120cm | 47.24 x 47.24in
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This is a Walka Board. Walka is Desert design and inseparably linked with Tjukurpa: The Law and way of life of Anangu (Central and Western Desert Aboriginal people). The symbols were traditionally used in cave, ground and body paintings, in storytelling, teaching and signalling inheritance. Meaning of the designs depends on its subject and particular people are responsible for their re-creation and teaching according to the Tjukurpa.
The etching techniques, where walka is burnt into the wood with wire heated on a wood fire, have become traditions in Anangu Art, evolving with the adaptation of traditional design for public display and as a depiction of Tjukurpa and landscape. More contemporary artists like me using nowadays the pyrography pencil. The design comes from my mother and grandmother.
“My walka board represents ngurra rirra, a plateau of distinctive ironstone pebbles. These landforms mark sites related to the Creation Ancestors’ journeys across the country, followed by countless generations of Anangu since. I saw them when the mining company took us on a helicopter flight.
I really enjoy doing the designs on the walka boards, as it not only represents my tradition and my country but also brings out the colours of the wood and brings it to live. It shows the movement in the wood, that comes out through my design.” Dallas Smythe
The etching techniques, where walka is burnt into the wood... Read More