June is an artist who paints in many styles, to capture the essence of her
country and its culture. She is very
knowledgeable in expressing her cultural law and loves to communicate this
knowledge through her paintings. June also is an enthusiastic participant in
the practice of her cultural ceremonies in song and dance. The styles June paints include Bush Plum Dreaming, Bush Medicine, Women's Ceremony, and Alpar (Rat-tailed plant). June is a great
colourist and likes to use bright colours when painting.

This painting depicts Alpar, a significant source of sustenance, used both for food and for medicinal purposes. Alpar is the Anmatyerre word for the rat-tail goosefoot or green crumbweed plant. This herb is sticky to touch and has a distinctive citrus scent. Alpar is found in abundance in southern Utopia, northeast of Alice Springs. It flowers in a way that forms long spikes, hence it's 'rat-tail' name, and produces shiny black seeds that can be ground into a powder to make damper, a type of bread. Ceremonies relating to this plant are carried out to ensure its productivity. The citrus-scented leaves of alpar were collected for medicinal as well as food purposes, often mixed with animal fats to create an ointment.