Debra Umala b. 1979

Debra paints Kaliny-Kalinypa, or the honey grevillea plant grevillea eriostachya, a native shrub that produces long spikes of bright yellow-green flowers. It is a sought-after food source, cherished in particular by Anangu children for the honey-like nectar that the flowers produce. The flowers are also sometimes placed in a piti (coolamon) with kapi (water) to soak, which makes a refreshing sweet drink called “bush cordial”, or “honey water”. This plant grows in sandhill country, where it can thrive in the sandy soil and spinifex plains. There is great cultural significance and Dreaming stories related to this plant. Painting roundels, Debra depicts these waterholes and rockholes where people would gather to collect water to drink with the kaliny-kalinypa. Debra creates vibrant and contemporary works using a gestural and expressive brushwork technique.