| Artist | Dorcas Tinnimai Bennett |
|---|---|
| Title | Purtingkatja - Pilangkatja (From the bush - From Spinifex Country) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Medium | Tjanpi (wild harvested grass), bush dyed raffia and bush dyed wool |
| Dimensions | 47 × 65 × 68 cm |
| Art Centre | Tjanpi Desert Weavers → |
Out of stock
Dorcas Tinnimai Bennett
I like to do Tjanpi work. I used to just make baskets but now I make animals as well. I use the same grass but in a different way. I like to mix up different coloured wools and raffia when I make baskets, like the different colours in the bush.
Dorcas Tinnimai Bennett was born at Wurturu rockhole near Kaltukatjara (Docker River) and now lives in Warakurna, Western Australia. She learnt weaving from family at Tjukurla Community. Dorcas is a fibre artist and painter having been represented by Warakurna Artists (of which she is also chairwoman) since 2006.
Artist statement
We thought we would use coils and the basket-making skills we know in a different way, to create a new style of sculpture. We went out bush to look around at all the interesting shapes and sizes of mountains, trees and anthills, some pointy, some round and some crooked. We also wanted to make our own special colours from the bush, so we made plant dyes and wove our sculptures with these soft colours. We made many tjanpi coils and stitched around and around, growing our sculptures up and out and in again. Some of us stitched our coils really strong and tight, and others kept the coils more grassy. The leaves, roots and barks we collected made colours that all look lovely together, just as all the colours of the bush look so lovely together too.
– Cynthia Burke, Dianne Ungukalpi Golding, Erica Ikungka Shorty, Yanyangkari Roma Butler, Dorcas Tinnimai Bennett