Amwekety (Bush Plum), 2001 by Gracie Morton, 61x61cm Cat 6951GM

"Amwekety (Bush Plum), 2001" by Gracie Morton beautifully captures the desert's transformation into various shades of purple during spring and summer. Amidst the scattered seeds of the bush plum, other important bush foods, such as the bush tomato with its purple skin and yellow center, are also depicted.

Gracie Morton, one of the senior traditional custodians of the Altyerre (Dreaming) and the expansive Mosquito Bore country in Utopia, located 263 km northeast of Alice Springs, uses her art to uphold and share her cultural heritage. Her delicate dot painting technique presents an aerial perspective of the landscape during summer, showcasing the vibrant and fleeting beauty of the bush plum as its seeds split open and husks scatter across the ground.

The Bush Plum, a prostrate plant that bursts into color after rain but quickly disintegrates in the summer heat, is a vital food source. Its small, black-seeded fruit can be eaten raw or cooked into bush damper and is extremely high in vitamin C.

Gracie Morton’s work vividly reflects the beauty and cultural significance of the Bush Plum Dreaming, a testament to her rich artistic lineage and deep connection to her ancestral land.

From the Alyawarre language group, Gracie Morton Pwerle's surname appears in various spellings (Pwerle, Pwerl, Purle, or Ngale) due to different linguistic interpretations.