Jessie Hunter Petyarre - Awelye for Sugarbag 90x90cm
Jessie Hunter Petyarre - Awelye for Sugarbag 90x90cm
Artwork Name: Awelye for sugarbag
Artist: Jessie Hunter Petyarre
Size: 90cm x 90cm loose canvas
Item Code: 10196
Art Story
Jessie’s painting represents awelye (womens ceremony and body paint designs) for sugarbag. Sugarbag is bush honey of Australian native bees. Jessie finds bush honey in the trees in her country.
The linear designs in this painting represent awelye. These designs are painted onto the chest, breast, arms and thighs. Powders ground from ochre (clays), charcoal and ash are used as body paint and applied with a flat stick with soft padding. The womes sing the songs associated with their awelye as each woman takes her turn to be ‘painted- up’.
The concentric circles represent the site where the awelye is being performed.
In this painting, Jessie also painted the leaves, flowers and seeds (dot work) of the trees.