Ant Spring
Beerbee MUNGNARI
2003 | natural ochres and pigments on canvas | accession number 657
accession number 689
purchased by the Art Board 2005 - Murdoch University Art Collection
© the artist and Warmun Arts

Beerbee MUNGNARI

born circa 1933, Waterloo Station, Northern Territory
lives and works, Turkey Creek, Western Australia
language groups: Gija/Naringman

As a young man Beerbee Mungnari lived and worked as a stockman on various cattle stations in the east Kimberly region. Mungnari has numerous stories from these experiences and many of these, form the basis of his paintings.

Mungnari started painting in 1982, after observing Warmun Community elder, Jack Britten paint using a combination of natural ochres mixed with paint pigments. Since this time Mugnari has become a highly respected Warmun artist with a style and method of painting which is unique and highly recognisable amongst other artists from this community.

The subject of this painting, Ant Spring was a dinner camp when Mungnari was mustering as a young man on Rosewood Station. The mustering route went from Bloodwood Spring to a place called Ant Spring. The location was given this named due to the masses large black sugar ants found in the area.

At night the camp cook would be careful not to leave any food out. At Ant Spring, everything had to be packed away or it would be in festered in ants in the morning. The spring is located just behind the dark brown hill in the painting.

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