Jane Margaret is one of the Centre’s notable painters on paper. She draws her subject matter from the wild life of the Island such as fish, magpie geese and sharks as well as craft items used by Tiwi including Tunga, (painted bark carriers) and arm bands worn for ceremonial dances. She also frequently looks to the historic painted ceiling for inspiration. With a long history of earth ochre painting on Arches paper as well as batik designs on silk fabrics and monotype prints, Jane now works in watercolour and black gesso on Saunders Waterford 638gsm paper. She still occasionally paints in ochres however she is enjoying the translucent quality of watercolour which is so different from ochre paint.
Jane’s work has been sought by collectors and Institutions including Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Education, Charles Darwin University Art Collection in Darwin, the University of Newcastle Art Collection in NSW, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of South Australia. She exhibited widely in Ngaruwanajirri exhibitions over more than two decades including the Centre’s annual exhibition in Darwin at the time of the Darwin Festival. She featured in all the major exposes of Ngaruwanajirri art interstate including the 2021 Tiwi Exhibition in the National Gallery of Victoria, November 2020- March 2021 and Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art , AGSA 2021 to January 2022.
