Ruby is a Pitjantjatjara senior law woman committed to fostering traditional law and culture, story-telling, hunting, punu (wood) carving, dancing and painting. She was born around 1940 in the bush, somewhere out west of Amata. Ruby said her family came to Amata when she was a young girl, most likely around the mid 1950’s. At that time Amata was a cattle station called Musgrave Park, which would eventually be returned to the Pitjantjatjara people in the mid 1960’s. Ruby married a young cattleman who worked at Musgrave Park and nearby stations. His family are the traditional owners of the country around Amata. Tragically, her husband died in his early forties leaving Ruby to bring up their five children on her own.
Ruby has been painting with Tjala Arts (formerly Minymaku Arts) since 2000 and is receiving attention and acclaim for her unique, contemporary style. She is a prevailing artist whose imagery is distinctly modern in its ideas, perspective and application. Ruby is still developing and experimenting. All of her works have a quirkiness and freshness that makes it difficult for non-Aboriginal people to pigeon hole her artworks or compare her works with other Aboriginal artists.
Ruby is receiving attention and acclaim for her contemporary style on canvas and also for her 'punu' woodblocks, a process that involves burning the design into a wooden surface using hot wire. The National Gallery of Australia purchased a selection of her prints in 2004.
Ruby is a Pitjantjatjara senior law woman committed to fostering traditional law and culture, story-telling, hunting, punu (wood) carving, dancing and painting. She was born around 1940 in the bush, somewhere out west of Amata. Ruby said her family came to Amata when she was a young girl, most likely around the mid 1950’s. At that time Amata was a cattle station called Musgrave Park, which would eventually be returned to the Pitjantjatjara people in the mid 1960’s. Ruby married a young cattleman who worked at Musgrave Park and nearby stations. His family are the traditional owners of the country around Amata. Tragically, her husband died in his early forties leaving Ruby to bring up their five children on her own.
Ruby has been painting with Tjala Arts (formerly Minymaku Arts) since 2000 and is receiving attention and acclaim for her unique, contemporary style. She is a prevailing artist whose imagery is distinctly modern in its ideas, perspective and application. Ruby is still developing and experimenting. All of her works have a quirkiness and freshness that makes it difficult for non-Aboriginal people to pigeon hole her artworks or compare her works with other Aboriginal artists.
Ruby is receiving attention and acclaim for her contemporary style on canvas and also for her 'punu' woodblocks, a process that involves burning the design into a wooden surface using hot wire. The National Gallery of Australia purchased a selection of her prints in 2004.