Gracie Morton c. 1956-2024

Although the exact date is unknown, Gracie Morton is believed to have been born around 1965 in Utopia, a large Indigenous homelands region some 240km north-east of Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Her aunties are the Petyarre sisters - Gloria, Kathleen, Myrtle, Violet and Ada Bird, all of whom are recognised artists in their own right. Gracie's daughter, Roseanne Morton Pwerle, is also a talented artist who has adopted Gracie's style of depicting the Bush Pulm, and continues to paint the story that was passed down to her by her mother. 

Gracie began her artistic career following the formation of the Women's Batik Group in Utopia in the 1980s; all of these batik works are now held in the Robert Holmes á Court collection. After learning the art of batik and other skills and story from her family members, Gracie moved to painting on canvas. Many of her works now represent the Bush Plum Dreaming story from her ancestral country, Ahalpere.

The finely layered dots of colour represent the low hanging fruits in various stages of ripeness. Gracie uses slightly different shades for each layer, creating depth and vibrance. The lines that dissect the canvas are the tracks walked by the the women to collect the plum. They meet in the middle, where the concentric circles are, to eat these nutritious fruits. The story also relates to the seeds that were scattered across the land in the ancient Dreaming creation era, bringing abundance and growth to the country that has been nourished by Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years. The spirit and providence of the plant is honoured in artistic practice as well as in song and ceremony.