Raelene Williams

Raelene lives and works in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in the Northern Territory. Raelene’s sister, Maureen Williams, is also a renowned artist who lives in Coober Pedy, South Australia. Raelene paints several stories, including the Whirly Winds and Bush Damper Seed. 

The bush damper seeds grow around waterholes, on the tips of desert grasses. They are collected by women and ground into a flour using a grinding stone. The flour is then mixed with water and put on hot coals to make damper, a bread-like tucker. 

Whirly winds are swirling gusts of rapidly rotating air, collecting all manner of leaves, sand and debris in its path, as well as bush seeds that are dispersed across the country. These seeds find new ground and momentarily come into bloom after desert rains. Whirly winds represent spirits for some Aboriginal people.

Raelene paints in a bold, bright style that matches her jovial personality.