Jilamara, 2005 by Raelene Kerinauia Lampuwatu 124x71cm, CAT 10161RK

Provenance certificate of this painting is from Jilamara Arts and Crafts, Tiwi Cat 44-04

Jilamara means painting or design - Tiwi people do Jilamara on their body, on a screen, or paint it on canvas. In the old days people did Jilamara through making a scar on their body with a shell. ... My Jilamara is patterns of things that live on the land and the sea.

Kayimwagakimi is the traditional Tiwi painting ‘comb’. Made from bloodwood or ironwood, it is about 15cm high with a single row of teeth. The comb is dabbed in ochre and applied to the painting surface resulting in a straight line of fine dots, a process which is repeated over and over. Kayimwagakimi and marlipinyini (a fine stick or pandanus frond chewed to form a brush) have largely been replaced by modern brushes but a handful of Tiwi still use traditional tools.

Natural Earth Pigments on Linen. This painting is shipped on the frame