Bessie Pitjara b. 1970

Bessie Pitjara (also spelled Petyarre) was born in 1970 and grew up in the expansive Indigenous homelands region of Utopia, some 240km north-east of Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Bessie is the daughter of highly regarded artist Polly Ngale, and follows in her footsteps artistically, depicting the Dreamings of the anwekety (bush plum or conkerberry) and kame (pencil yam) that have been passed down to her. Bessie's sister, Kate Pitjara, is also a celebrated artist who paints this story. 

Anwekety is the Anmatyerre word for the conkerberry or bush plum, a berry that is favoured by Indigenous people of the Central and Western desert regions for its sweet taste and nutritional value. Bessie typically paints the Anwekety story from Ahalpere country, telling of the winds that blew from all directions, scattering the seeds all over the ancestral lands. The Dreaming story tells of the rituals of sowing and harvesting – the locations where the shrubs flourish, and the paths walked by women to collect the treasured tucker. The bush plum is an important source of vitamin C, and is prized for its nutritional value. Women traditionally conduct a lot of song and ceremony to do with the bush plum, honouring the spirit of the plants to continue their growth. 

Bessie primarily paints the same story as her mother, depicting aspects of the Bush Plum Dreaming, in a similar style as the Utopia masters - using a dotting technique and heavily layered paint to depict the bush plum in various stages of ripeness. This style of work has often been compared to that of the 19^th century Impressionists; reminiscent of the colour fields used and their immediate emotive quality. Bessie also carves the local bean tree timber in sculptures such as spirit men, birds and people. Like her paintings, she decorates them with bright and lively colours.