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- Artist: Dean Jakamara Briscoe
- Title: Witchetty Grub Dreaming
- Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
- Size:50 x 39.5cm
- Tribes and Languages spoken: Anmatyerr & Warlpiri
Story:
Women and children are digging for witchetty grubs using nulla nullas and coolamons. The centre circle represents the tree and the witchetty grubs are found inside the tree roots.
Biography:
Dean Jakamara Briscoe was born in Alice Springs, NT but spent most of his life out bush with his family in Aboriginal communities north west of Alice like Laramba, Yuelamu, Pulardi and Mampa (Coniston), Dean has lived a very traditional life experiencing hunting, gathering, language and culture that has been practiced for many generations by his people. With a very unique style that’s derived from the old Western Desert Dot Style Art. Dean from a very young age was taught how to paint by his mother (Katie Panangka Briscoe-Dec) and also family members who are very well known in the art world. He remembers sitting with one of his grandfathers the late Clifford Possum as he painted large scale master pieces telling Dean the stories of what he painted as they sat under a tree, with very fond memories of Mr Possum, Dean has also been fortunate to have been brought up amongst other artists who are also close family to him like his eldest sister Joy Nakamara Briscoe,
Teddy Briscoe (Grandfather), Potter/Painter Patsy Morton (Grandmother), Cassidy Japaljardi (Grandfather), Billy Stockman (Grandfather) and many more from around his region who has made an extraordinary contribution for their people’s recognition into the Art world with Western Desert Dot Style Indigenous Art. One of Deans works were sold many years ago in an art gallery in Alice Springs when he was just a child starting to paint and it took off from then, He has really developed a style in which only he can perfect with an old Clifford Possum style work in a very contemporary neat way still representing his totems and dreamings. He started off using four main acrylic colours and mixed them into different ochreish colours and now is painting with recent and vibrant colours with the old. His paintings has the western desert look of natural ochres with a modern twist in colours, in each piece he feels and wishes he can share a part of his culture with the world.
Not only art & craft has been Deans desire to achieve something in life, he has worked and studied hard in his possibly third language (English), since starting off as an assistant teacher in his remote home community of Laramba in 1996 to becoming a qualified primary school teacher in 2002 (La Trobe University) and has worked extensively throughout the Northern Territory in the education system and other agencies. During this period in Dean’s life his time for his art became scarce and he could only produce small amounts at a time for numerous art galleries and commission work to certain customers reaching all over the world. Dean has now put his primary school teaching on hold to have a break and to work hard on producing more of his magical creations and to spread his people’s stories to the world. Beautifully created art that will always have the spotlight and wow feeling, it won’t last on the shelf, also a master craftsman taught by his late stepfather in the ancient art of making killer boomerangs, shields, spears, nulla nullas (digging/fighting stick), coolamons (food/water container) and many more so be on the lookout for more of Dean’s works.
