Perentie Dreaming by Christobella Briscoe, Arches Paper, 57x76cm

Perentie Dreaming by Christobella Briscoe is a charming, naive, expressive, colourful, and joyful depiction of perenties and country. The Perentie ( Varanus giganteus ) is Australia’s largest lizard and an important food source for desert people. Its body is rich brown with large cream or yellow markings and it has a forked tongue and numerous very sharp, slightly curved teeth.

In this painting the beautiful yellow ochre background symbolises the sandy soil where the perenties burrow under bushes, depicted by the white and black designs.

In 2010, Christabella was among the artists from the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands included in a special edition of prints by master printmaker Basil Hall. She created a charming woodprint as part of this wonderful project celebrating Desart art centres. Each art centre received a woodblock and printmaking equipment, and an artist was invited to create the matrix for an original print.