Carnot Bay—known as Nudagun, meaning "place of fire"—is located on our Jabirr Jabirr country in the West Kimberley. Our family’s homeland at Carnot Bay is also called Nudagun.
The three circles represent a group of three springs on Jabirr Jabirr country. This is our family's homeland, where we maintain a deep, ongoing responsibility for both the stories and the country itself.
-
The Two Larger Springs: These are surrounded by mudflats and become completely encircled by water during high spring tides.
-
The Smaller Spring: This spring is hidden within the bushland, located close to the living area.
The Legend of the Fire Spirit
The springs at Nudagun are the home of the fire spirit ancestor, who was originally the sole keeper of fire.
Two spirit people from the north travelled toward Nudagun and saw the smoke of the flames. They hid quietly in the bush, waiting until the dead of night before creeping into the camp to steal the fire from its keeper.
Awoken by the noise, the fire spirit immediately gave chase. The two spirit people ran and ran, and as they fled, they created creeks and bays behind them in a desperate attempt to slow the fire spirit down. Today, these very creeks and bays form the traditional boundaries for the clans and language groups of the region.
When the spirit people were nearly home, they created one final bay that the fire spirit could not cross. Staying safely behind this last bay, the two spirit people secured their language's boundary—and forever brought fire to people.
The 3 Circles
The three circles represent the three springs with the top spring, known as the Butterfly Springs. At the end of the dry season when the weather starts to heat up the spring is filled with butterflies and if you stand quiet and still they will land on you. The outer red and black colour represents the fire and charcoal from the fire spirits fire.
Natasha Lloyd
Natasha Lloyd is a contemporary Aboriginal artist whose work reflects deep connections to both desert wildflower and saltwater Country, drawing on family stories, lived experiences and intergenerational cultural knowledge. Through vibrant colour, layered symbolism and storytelling, her paintings explore themes of identity, memory, Country and cultural continuity.
An established artist with exhibitions presented both locally and interstate, Natasha has developed a strong contemporary practice that moves across fine art, textiles and design. Her artworks have been reproduced for clothing, textiles and wall hangings, bringing contemporary Aboriginal art into fashion and interior design spaces while continuing to share stories of Country and culture through new mediums.
Natasha’s artistic achievements have been recognised through Top End NAIDOC honours as Artist of the Year, acknowledging her contribution to contemporary Indigenous art practice. She is also a recipient of the prestigious David Blanasi Acquisitive Art Award, recognising the strength and significance of her artistic work within the Northern Territory arts community.
As the daughter of Faye Parriman, a respected Yamatji and Noongar artist, educator and Stolen Generations survivor, Natasha’s practice is deeply informed by storytelling, resilience and cultural survival. Her artistic influences are also strongly connected to her father, Kevin Parriman, a respected Jabirr Jabirr/Ngumbarl and Yawuru carver, storyteller and cultural educator from the West Kimberley. His teachings, stories and strong connection to saltwater Country continue to shape the family’s artistic and cultural practices.
Natasha’s work reflects the richness of these combined cultural influences. Having spent significant time on both saltwater and desert wildflower Country with family, her paintings capture memories of place, seasonal changes, family journeys and cultural teachings shared across generations. Through her contemporary Aboriginal art practice, she honours inherited stories while also expressing her own lived experiences and evolving connection to Country.
As both an artist and mother, Natasha has played a significant role in nurturing the creative practices of her daughters Celina Lloyd, Leticia Lloyd and Jessica Lloyd. Together, they continue an evolving intergenerational family dialogue through art, grounded in storytelling, cultural learning and shared experiences on Country.
In Beyond Everlastings, Natasha presents works that speak to family memory, cultural strength and the enduring relationships between land, sea and sky Country. Her paintings contribute to the exhibition’s broader exploration of intergenerational knowledge, resilience and the continuation of cultural storytelling through contemporary Aboriginal art.
