Luritja
Haasts Bluff
Walter Jugadai was born in Mpwernte (Alice Springs) in 1983. His mother, Judith Nelson, and father Nebo Jugadai were both from Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff). Walter went to school in Warumpi (Papunya) and Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff). It was at Papunya school that he first began drawing with pencil on paper. Walter grew up watching the old men painting at Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff), even before there was an art centre. He fondly remembers helping them, getting water for them, and learning from them.
Walter learnt to paint from members of the Namatjira family. Albert Namatjira’s watercolour paintings continue to inspire Walter today. Amongst those who taught Walter to paint were Kevin Morris and Skipper Raggett. After finishing school in Warumpi (Papunya), Walter went to college at Yirarra in Mpwernte (Alice Springs). He then returned to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) where he worked in the old station house.
Walter first started painting on canvas in 2004 at Ikuntji Artists. Over the years, Walter has proven to be a dynamic artist, ranging from vivid landscape scenes to painting the Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) passed down to him from his family. He also sometimes paints the Star and Shield Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) that was passed down to him from his grandfather. Maisie, Walter’s older sister also paints at Ikuntji Artists and his older brother, Martin, is a gifted carver.
Walter has travelled extensively with the art centre around Australia and overseas to Korea, Germany, and Switzerland. He’s represented the art centre at art fairs and markets and has been a director of Ikuntji Artists and Desart Inc.
In 2022, Walter created his first fabric-by-the-metre designs based on his grandfather’s Star and Shield Tjukurrpa.
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