Mavis Marks

Mavis was born in 1945 at New Haven. She was the sister of Ronnie Tjampitjinpa and Smithy Zimran Tjampitjinpa. Her sisters Yuyuya Nampitjinpa and Gina Nampitjinpa are from the same birth mother and father (Tjangala). She enjoyed traveling to Walungurru (Kintore) to visit with her sister Yuyuwa. Gina lives in Alice Springs and Mavis was able to see her regularly. She moved to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) as a teenager with her mother. When she married, she moved to Watiyawanu (Mt Liebig) with her husband and began to paint at the art centre there. Mavis returned to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) at the death of her husband, later moving to Papunya. She raised five children as her own, and her daughter, Sylvana Marks, is also an artist.

Mavis liked to paint the ceremonial dancing of ladies at Watiyawanu (Mt Liebig) and represented their body painting designs. She also painted the story given to her by her grandfather of Kalipinpa, the Water Dreaming, which comes from her mother’s side. It shows the big rains travelling from West to East across the Western Desert.

She participated in design workshops in 2017 and 2018. Her designs: Women’s Business and Kalinpinpa have been part of collections with Magpie Goose and Publisher Textiles as well as being worn by various celebrities.