Cecily Daniels b. 1960

Cecily Daniels comes from the remote but historically and artistically rich community of Papunya, some 240km northwest of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in the Northern Territory. Growing up, Cecily lived at an outstation just outside of Papunya called 5 Mile. She is the daughter of celebrated artist Barney Daniels Tjungarrayi, who taught her to paint when she was a young girl. Cecily's sister, Gladys Daniels, is also a talented artist. Cecily is now married to the son of one of Papunya Tula’s founding artists, Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa.

Cecily often depicts tali (sandhills) and other topographic designs like rockholes and waterholes; she is also known to paint designs associated with the Tingari Dreaming or Tingari Song Cycle, which are deeply sacred and secret Dreaming stories of the Pintupi and Luritja peoples.

Cecily’s style of painting is characteristic of the Western Desert painters, using dots and linework to tell important Dreaming stories. Using this repetitive form of markmaking, Cecily creates incredible optical-style art with captivating movement and depth. Her technique is measured and precise, and lends a meditative quality to her finished canvases, capturing the quiet power of the desert landscape.