Circle of Life by Bernadine Johnson Kemarre
Circle of Life is a series of paintings by Bernadine Johnson Kemarre, an artist from Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) community, south-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. We work with Bernadine directly.
Bernadine with Circle of Life, 118cm x 119cm
The story
The series is inspired by the ripples created when a single drop of water falls into a rockhole. Each ring moving outward stands for the connection between people, land and water.
For Bernadine and her family, the rockholes near Santa Teresa are where that circle of life is honoured, through time spent together, storytelling and connection to the land. Water in the desert is life, and the rockhole is where family gathers around it.
Circle of Life, 105cm x 100cm (sold)
How she paints it
Bernadine paints Circle of Life with a brush. She starts at the centre and works outward, building layers of colour in circles until the rings reach the edge of the canvas, the same way a ripple spreads across water. She then works circular dots into the brush marks, following each ring around. No two are the same. Some are cool blues and turquoise, others are reds and golds, greens, pinks or full rainbow palettes.
The format works at any size. A small canvas reads as a single drop. On a large canvas the rings carry right to the edges and the painting fills a wall.
Circle of Life, 92cm x 89cm (sold)
Close up of the brush marks and dots
Her other stories
Before Circle of Life, Bernadine was best known for her Bush Medicine Leaves, Bush Medicine Trees and Bush Flowers paintings, stories connected to bush foods and the healing plants of her country. She also paints Women's Dreaming, a bird's eye view of her homelands showing the gatherings and travel of women's ceremony, and the bush berries, plums and flowers collected along the way.
Circle of Life, 99cm x 87cm
Buying a Circle of Life painting
We hold Circle of Life originals from small square works up to around a metre, and larger works when Bernadine paints them. Every original comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. If you want to see them in person, visit us at our gallery in Edwardstown, Adelaide.