Walala began painting in December 1987, a few years after settling at Kiwirrkurra. He was introduced to painting by his cousin Warlimpirrnga. He taught Walala about using paints and canvas. Walala joined the Papunya Tula artists, and he, Thomas and Warlimpirrnga eventually gained fame internationally as the Tjapaltjarri Brothers. Although he normally paints using "Tjapaltjarri" as a surname, Walala's skin name is "Tjapangati".
His paintings depict scenes from the Tingari cycle (sacred and secret songs about the ancestors of the Pintupi). He uses only four colours at most, sticking to earthy, ochre colours to reflect the desert landscape. The places he depicts in his paintings are part of his traditional country, including Marruwa, Mintarnpi, Wanapatangu, Mina Mina, Naami, Yarrawangu and Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay). These were places where the ancestors stopped for ceremonies when travelling across the country.
Walala uses acrylic paintings on canvas. His early work was in the flowing "dot" style of painting typical of the Papunya Tula artists. His style became different during the late 1990s, and began to paint rigid rectangles, replacing dotted lines with thick, solid lines.
His first exhibition was in 1997, for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in Darwin. Most of his work is shown in exhibitions alongside the works of other Aboriginal artists. He has paintings in permanent collections in Australia, Europe and the United States. Walala paints the most out of the three Tjapaltjarri brothers. When painting regularly, he earns up to AU$2000 a day. His paintings often sell for many thousands of dollars.
Thomas Tjapaltjarri
Thomas Tjapaltjarri (born Tamayinya Tjapangati, also often known as Tamlik) is an Australian Aboriginal artist. He and his brothers Warlimpirrnga and Walala have become well-known as the Tjapaltjarri Brothers. Thomas and his family became known as the last group of Aborigines to come into contact with modern, European society. They came out of the desert in 1984, and became known as "the last nomads".
Thomas was born in the desert of Western Australia sometime in the 1960s. He and his family lived a traditional nomadic way of life on the western side of Lake Mackay. They had never come into contact with European society. Most other Pintupi families had been settled in remote towns to the east and west of their traditional country during the 1950s. Thomas' father, Lanti (or "Joshua"), had lived for a short time at the mission in Balgo, but he had run away after getting into trouble for stealing food. It was his decision to stay in the desert, and kept his family far away from the towns.
Thomas' mother was named Nanu. He also had two other mothers, Papunya and Watjunka, who were his father's secondary wives. He had two younger sisters, Yalti and Yukultji, a younger half-brother Walala, and four other "siblings" (cousins by blood relation). His father died sometime around 1980. The family finally came into contact with outsiders in October 1984, and were settled at Kiwirrkurra. The event was big news at the time, and the family became famously known as "the last nomads". Thomas was diagnosed with epilepsy shortly after this.
Thomas began painting in December 1987, a few years after settling at Kiwirrkurra. His cousin Warlimpirrnga had already made a name for himself as an artist and he encouraged Thomas to paint too. Thomas and Walala joined the Papunya Tula artists, and they and Warlimpirrnga eventually gained fame internationally as the Tjapaltjarri Brothers. Although he normally paints using "Tjapaltjarri" as a surname, Thomas' skin name is "Tjapangati".
His paintings depict stories from the Pintupi dreaming. They are mostly about places and events in the Tingari cycle (a cycle of myths about the ancestors of the Pintupi). His designs are inspired by those painted on the body during ceremonies. He uses acrylic paints on canvas, sticking to earthy colours (black, white and ochres). He paints simple shapes with dotted lines, which is a style that his brothers also use.
He has had paintings shown in many exhibitions around Australia, and also in Switzerland, Germany, France and the United States. His larger paintings sell for at least AU$6000 in Alice Springs and AU$9500 in galleries in Melbourne and Sydney.
Adenorhinos
Adenorhinos is a monotypic genus made for the venomous viper species, ""Adenorhinos barbouri"". It is a small and rare terrestrial (lives on the ground) snake found in the Uzungwe and Ukinga mountains in south-central Tanzania in Africa. There is currently no subspecies found.
The Adenorhinos is a small species of snake, growing up to the length of 40 cm (16 inches). It has a broad, triangular head, with short and rounded snouts. It is brown or blackish-brown in color, with dark rhombic blotches down the back and a green or olive green belly.
The Adenorhinos is found in bamboo areas of the Uzungwe and Ukinga mountains in south-central Tanzania in Africa. It is also found in moist forests.
The Adenorhinos barbouri is also known as the ""Uzungwe Viper"", the ""Barbour's Viper"", the ""Worm-eating Viper"", the ""Barbour's short-headed Viper"", the ""Udzungwa Viper"", the ""Short-headed Viper"", and the ""Uzungwe Mountain Bush Viper"".
The Uzungwe Viper eats slugs, earthworms, and frogs.
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958 in Los Angeles) is an American television performer and stage actress who won two Emmy Awards for her "Will & Grace" acting. She worked for theater in Chicago and has done many performances in multiple Broadway musicals. She also starred in many television programs besides "Will & Grace". She has been married to Nick Offerman since 2003.
Yukultji Napangati
Yukultji Napangati is an Australian Aboriginal artist. She is a painter of the Papunya Tula group of artists. She is part of a generation of female painters who followed in the footsteps of the original male Papunya Tula artists.
Yukultji grew up around Marruwa, a waterhole near Lake Mackay. She grew up without knowing about places like Kiwirrkurra, or her relatives living there. She had never met anyone from outside her own family. Her family lived a completely traditional nomadic way of life. Her father, Lanti (or "Joshua"), had lived for a short time at the mission in Balgo, but he had run away after getting into trouble for stealing food. It was his decision to stay in the desert, and kept his family far away from the towns. Yukultji's father died sometime around 1980. The family finally came into contact with outsiders in October 1984, and were settled at Kiwirrkurra. The event was big news at the time, and the family became famously known as "the last nomads". Yukultji was the youngest of this group.
Yukultji experienced major culture shock when first coming out of the desert. She often found new things difficult to understand. In an interview once, she remembers, "I hopped into a car and crouched down, and I saw the trees move. I was frightened. I was scared. I jumped right off because the trees were racing around the place."
Yukultji began painting in the early 1990s. Before this, she had watched her brothers painting and later decided to try it for herself. She paints stories and songs from her and her mother's dreaming. These stories are about her traditional country, around Marruwa, Ngaminya and Marrapinti.
Her paintings are shown in several public collections in Australia. Her work has been shown in over 80 exhibitions in Australia and overseas. She was a finalist in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Yukultji won the Alice Prize, an award for Australian artists in Alice Springs.
Yalti Napangati