Rosemary Pitjara

Rosemary Pitjara (Petyarre) was born in 1961 at Boundary Bore in the Utopia region of Central Australia and is niece to the acclaimed artist, Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Rosemary is a member of the famous Petyarre artist family; her cousin is the celebrated Gloria Petyarre. Many members of the Petyarre family are highly acclaimed painters in the Aboriginal art world.

Rosemary predominantly paints a bush medicine leaf design, a design popularised by her cousin Gloria. All aspects of bush medicine - the plants, the paths taken by women to collect it, and the process of preparing it for use - hold cultural and spiritual significance to Aboriginal people. Rosemary depicts the way that the women would source and pick certain types of leaves. The leaves would be dried and then mixed with animal fats to extract their medicinal oils, and then be applied topically for their healing qualities. 

Rosemary’s style is consistent and rhythmic, lending a tranquil quality to the finished work. Rosemary’s work has featured in numerous exhibitions in Australia and overseas.