Lorna Fencer Napurrula was born around 1924 at Yartulu Yartulu, and is custodian of land called Yummurrpa, south of the Granites Mine in the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory. The Yarla (Yam) Dreaming track originates from this region and travels north towards Lajamanu. In 1949, along with many Warlpiri people, Lorna Napurrula was forcibly transported to the government settlement of Lajamanu at Hookers Creek, in the country of the Gurindji people, 400 kilometres north of their own country near Yuendumu. Despite being uprooted from her traditional land, Lorna nevertheless maintained her cultural identity through ceremonial activity and art, and asserted her position as a prominent elder and teacher in the Lajamanu community. She was also a member of the artist’s co-operative in Lajamanu, the Warnayaka Art Centre.
Until her death in December 2006, Lorna lived predominantly at Lajamanu and Katherine (650 kilometres apart), travelling regularly between them. She was a senior Lajamanu artist. Lorna was custodian of the Caterpillar (luju) and Bush Potato (yarla) Dreamings that are associated with that land. She was also custodian of Dreamings associated with bush onion, yam and also bush tomato, bush plum, ngalatji (little white flower), many different seeds and water, wallaby and certain men’s stories including boomerangs for the Napurrula, Nakamarra, Japurrula, and Jakamarra skin groups. The travels of Napurrula and Nakamarrra moiety or “skin” groups were the inspiration for Lorna’s work.
While raised as a skilled painter of decorative body designs for ceremonies, Lorna began painting on canvas in 1986 with a typical dotting technique. She soon developed a very unique, personal style which became increasingly free, bold and abstract. Lorna applied the paint in liberal quantities to the brush before touching down on the canvas and layering the colours, one upon the next. The thick impasto, which may be produced with acrylic paint, was a crucial factor in her work as were bright, clear colour ranging from intense oranges to pinks, blues and lime greens. Lorna also mastered another quite different style where she relied on an expressive linear gesture as her elongated marks swirled across the surface of the canvas.
Her first solo exhibition was in 1997 and since then she exhibited regularly in solo as well as in group exhibitions. Lorna’s work is represented in public galleries in Australia and in private galleries both in Australia and overseas.
