Alison Munti Riley b. 1966

In this painting, Alison depicts the native bush medicine plant Irmangka Irmangka, which can be found across the arid Central and Western desert regions. Eremophila alternifoila, commonly known as "emu bush", has been sought out by Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years, prized for its natural anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. It is traditionally used to soothe arthritis, joint and muscle pain, and cold and flu symptoms. Characteristic of the Central and Western desert painting movements, Alison depicts from a bird's eye point of view the topography of her ancestral country, creating a plant-like motif to denote special places where women knew to gather Irmangka Irmangka. Alison says that these plants like to grow on rocky hills, they like to be a bit high off the ground. Traditionally, women gather and dry out the leaves and flowers of medicinal plants like these, grind them into a fine powder, and mix them with animal fats or oils to create a healing balm.