The MacDonnell Ranges run 664km across the Northern Territory, Australia through the Aboriginal countries and communities we represent. The Ranges are integral to their life and Dreamtime stories.
The Aboriginals (the Arrernte mob) believe three giant caterpillars: Yeperenye, Ntyarlke and Utnerrengatye created the stunning ranges after emerging from of an escarpment in Mparntwe or Alice Springs. Rock art exists at Emily Gap near Alice Springs which tells the story of the caterpillars emergence and bitter fight with the Irlperenye or giant stink bug which killed the caterpillars off.
Caterpillar remains made rock formations and gaps in the ranges. Surviving Yeperenye caterpillars made the rivers and the trees and in some Aboriginal Dreamtime stories the Caterpillar dreaming resides underneath the eucalyptus trees.
The McDonnell Ranges and the flora living on them is often depicted in the Aboriginal artwork and wallpapers we sell. The Country where they sit is the embodiment of the Aboriginal people who have been custodians of the land for at least 40,000 years.
The MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs
My Grandmother's Country by Denise Ngwarraye Bonney 107x51cm available online or in the gallery.
We have sadly learnt that one of our favourite artists who was also an incredibly inspirational women has passed away. On our recent trip to our Aboriginal communities in Australia we caught up with Alma. She had been ill for some time but we believed she had beaten her illness so it was a dreadful shock to find out she has died. Alma had started painting again following her illness and we were looking forward to having more of her works after her sell out show at Bay Gallery Home in 2015. Sadly, this will not be the case.
Alma was instrumental in helping obtain permission to create the 'My Country' interiors collection and for that we are forever grateful. Our thoughts are with her family, the art centre staff and the Community.
On our visit in Easter we caught up with Alma who shared her recent works with us.
Bay Gallery Home is celebrating the start of Desert Mob this week with a painting by one of our favourite emerging artists whose work is reflected in our beautiful Cotswold Chrysanthemums. The Dreamtime story depicted in the painting is a Wardapi Jukurrpa or Goanna Dreaming. At the site where this story sits you'll find yellow & white ochre which is used for love potions and ceremonial purposes.
Desert Mob falls immediately after Darwin Art Fair both of which are important cultural events in the Indigenous art calendar. Bay Gallery Home proudly supports members of Desert Mob through our Tetbury gallery in the heart of the Cotswolds so drop in or visit us online to learn more.
Wardapi Jukurrpa by Ruth Nungarrayi 46cmx30cm acrylic on linen
It's wonderful to have our 'My Country' Aboriginal wallpaper featured in magazines in countries as far flung as Chile. The Aboriginal spirit and aesthetic is something people from all over the world can connect with as it harks back to the very essence of humanity and creation. Add design with origin to your home by ordering from our online shop.
The use of Ceramic Tiles in homes and architecture is as ancient as universal and diverse, which is why this April 2017 saw the launch of Britain's first National Tile Week– "a celebration of tiles, aiming to educate consumers on the quality and versatility of tiles and how they can be used throughout the home."
We turned to Johnson Tiles after hearing about their specialist Artile service through the British Museum. Using state of the art techniques, Artile painstakingly reproduces any illustration, drawing or picture onto a tile with no loss of detail or colour.
The quality of the reproduction was especially crucial to this enterprise, given that in Australian Aboriginal Art every dot, line, abstract & figurative representation and choice of colour has special meaning and spiritual importance to the Aboriginal people. This interior collection provides a window into a world that many have still not yet had the privilege to see or encounter.
Johnson Tile were a delight to work with, taking on the challenge with dedication, enthusiasm and sensitivity for the nature of our commission — "we weren’t just recapturing an image but a culture, a history, and all of its folklore and traditions. Implementing traditional lithography techniques combined with our state of the art technology and high-res scanning process, we were able to accurately match every detail and colour of Sarah and Geraldine’s paintings."
The original paintings by the contemporary Australian Aboriginal artists we represent, which Johnson Tiles so successfully reproduced onto ceramic tiles.
Tiles, especially ceramic tiles have as many functional advantages as different styles. The ancient Greeks were prolific tile users, designing tile motifs inspired by abstracted natural forms, developing stylistic standards that still today serve as reference points. Tiles are foremost durable: tough, water-resistant, heat-reflective and help regulate ambient temperature. Decoratively, the breadth and width of contemporary tile designs make it one of the greatest creative assets in interiors.
Our award-winning Bush Onion 1 ceramic wall tile as a kitchen splash back, adding a subtle element of ochre red & geometry to the clean lines of this contemporary minimalist kitchen design, creating a space with a unique elegance and simplicity.
National Tile Week is an initiative of the Devon-based company British Ceramic Tiles, who turned to interior designer Julia Kendell, whose passion for emotionally-connected design inspired her successful TV work on DIY SOS and 60 Minute Makeover, inspiring her nickname as 'the Nigella of DIY'. Here are some of her tips and advice on working with tiles:
Ngalypi Jukurrpa Yanjirlpiri, Snake Vine Dreaming, by Geraldine Napangardi Granites
Our Art gallery seeks to showcase the versatility of the contemporary Australian Aboriginal artists, whose brilliant and diverse work is rooted both in the very real modern-day challenges of their culture & their rich heritage. One of these artists is Geraldine Napangardi Granites, who brings her own dynamic, modern painterly interpretation to a traditional subject matter : the Snake Vine Dreaming, or Ngalyipi Jukurrpa.
The Snake Vine Dreaming Geraldine paints is associated with a specific country in the Australian Central Desert: Yanjirlpiri, or ‘star’ (known as Mt. Nicker), lying to the west of Yuendumu. In Aboriginal culture, Dreamings have specific ‘kirda’ (owners), and in the kirda of this Dreaming are the Japaljarri/Jungarrayi men & Napaljarri/Nungarrayi women. Geraldine is one such Napaljarri/Nungarrayi artist, the daughter of the celebrated artist Alma Nungarrayi Granites and granddaughter of Paddy Japaljarri Sims (dec) and Bessie Nakamarra Sims (Dec): two of Warlukurlangu Artists Artists Aboriginal Corporation founding artists. Born & bred in Yuendumu, she lives locally with her four children and has developed her artistry by observing her grandfather’s art and that of Judy Napangardi Watson, a Warlpiri artist at the forefront of a move towards more abstract rendering of Dreaming stories.
In Snake Vine Dreaming traditional iconography, sinuous lines represent the Ngalyipi (snake vine), and straight lines represent the witi (ceremonial poles) and karlangu (digging sticks). Geraldine's painting pools from this tradition, whilst giving us a visual representation of how intricately interwoven this plant is in the daily physical & spiritual life of its people, and the profoundly interconnected relationship of the Aboriginal people to Country.
The snake vine, or Ngalyipi [Tinospora smilacina]) is found in the trees and shrubs of sandy spinifex plains and sandhills, this green creeper has many uses in daily life and is of great ceremonial importance. The vine is made up into as a shoulder strap to carry parraja (coolamons) and ngami (water carriers), or exploited for its medicinal uses: as tourniquets, and its leaves and vines are used as bandages for wounds. The Warlpiri people sometimes chew the leaves to treat severe colds, or pound the stems into poultices to cure headaches.
The importance of Yanjirlpiri cannot be overemphasized, as the sons and grandsons of Japaljarri and Jungarrayi men are brought here from as far away as Pitjantjatjara country (to the south), and from Lajamanu (to the north) to be initiated. This witi ceremony is performed at night under the stars, during which Napaljarri and Nungarrayi women will dance but then look away and block their ears when it is time for the men dance. In men’s initiations, Ngalyipi is used to tie the witi (ceremonial poles) to the shins of the dancing initiates, and to tie yukurruyukurru (dancing boards) to dancers’ bodies.
You are always welcome to pay a visit to our Art gallery in Tetbury, Gloucestershire or to browse through its digital counterpart in the ART section of this website.
We regularly post blogs on the provenance of our artwork. If you are interested in learning more about Dreamings, do have a read of our blog The Dream before the Art.
Detail from a painting we will be bringing back to Bay Gallery Home's Gallery, a fine example of the ever-evolving work of contemporary Australian Aboriginal Artists.
On the road to Uluru, after being Fool-uru by Mount Conner...
Here's a detail from Australian Aboriginal Street Art in Papunya, by Candy - a dynamic work of Art that feels full of expression and relevance.
Mount Conner, also called 'Fool-uru' by locals for so often being mistaken for Uluru..
Some of the rich stylistic variety of contemporary Australian Aboriginal artists, each incarnating the Artist's experience and connection with Country, their land and identity heritage.
Tidal mark, Kings Canyon inside Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.
The Australian Aboriginal people are the one of the oldest continuous populations on earth, and their visual language is considered one of the world’s oldest Art forms, spanning over 50,000 years. The connection to 'Country' is essential. Their tribal Dreamings, creation and mapping myths, rituals and sacred topography inspire bold, beautiful abstract paintings featuring the landscape, plants and animals of Australia's central desert. The Aboriginals see no difference between themselves, the sky, the land and the animals they share it with. All are one and the same.
Fun times in the studio!
Bay Gallery Home believes passionately in respecting, supporting and promoting the Aboriginal communities it represents. Despite a way of life that continues to be endangered, the Australian Aboriginal people continue to exhibit the incredible resilience and adaptation to change that has sustained them over the many millennia they have inhabited Australia.
Yet, they are at a cross road, and the contemporary Art movement now plays a significant role in giving them a voice. The majority of artists Bay Gallery Home represents are hard working, determined women providing themselves with an income to provide for their children. The money generated by the Aboriginal owned corporations creates mobility, educational and work opportunities across the community. Our artists are remunerated for the purchase of their works, and receive a percentage of any interiors' sale.
Irrepressible creativity: very Arts & Crafts!
Colour gems waiting for the right buyer.
We have represented artists from the communities of Central Australia since 2008, and are proud to be one of the rare exclusively dedicated Australian Aboriginal Art galleries in the UK.
Bay Gallery Home's relationship with the Central Australian Aboriginal artists is one of trust, founded on respect for their heritage and contemporary ways of life. In our dealings we have the utmost consideration for the codes of conduct and sensibilities that surround the provenance of this ancient Art & the multi-generational communities that keep the artwork alive & vibrant.
Our Australian Aboriginal wallpapers bring original Art into your interior spaces in a whole new way.
The inspiration for My Country PINK starts with the Central Desert land – its red dusty earth and sun-burnt grasses, and resplendent amongst it all the ghostly white of the Ghostgum tree with its beautiful gleaming bark & sculptural presence. Observing its solitary presence in this arid landscape, it is not hard to see why artist Ngwarraye paints it so distinctively, and why it is so engaging as a recurring pictorial motif in our My Country PINK wallpaper.
In our design process, we take every pains to produce excellent wallpapers, taking account of scale and pattern repeats and colour dynamics so that in the translation between original painting & interior design product we keep the spirit of the artwork alive and present you with exquisitely beautiful products that will bring character & joy to your interior spaces.
Alana Ngwarraye, the wonderful artist behind the original artwork forMy Country PINK.
The voices of the amazing Australian Aboriginal women artists we represent, the sale of their artwork & the My Country Interiors collection means their communities earn crucial revenue streams.
This allows them to gain independence, access to health care, maintain their origins, cultural heritage and connection with the land.
Through their roles as artists they are expanding the global awareness of an ancient culture in contemporary times. The artist communities we represent are made up of men and women, who have distinct but equally valuable stories to tell and paint of their people and country & it is our privilege to share them and give them a platform.
Deco Mag features bay gallery home's australian aboriginal wallpapers, tiles & rug collection as part of its Spring 2017 eco-friendly drive for stylish interiors.
Based in London, Deco Mag is for everyone who loves great design and stylish interiors but wants to do things in the most eco friendly way. We feature in their 'News' section, and with them hope that 2017 will prove a great year for ethically driven beautiful interiors.
Starting with Water Dreaming, by Shorty Jangala Robertson.
This Ngapa Jukurrpa, or Water Dreaming is the work of a master of colour field abstraction: Shorty Jangala Robertson. Described as a stetson-wearing superstar, he didn’t start painting until he was quite elderly. After a life of struggle and trauma involving being hunted by “white fella” during the Coniston massacre, and being separated from his mother during WW2, Shorty became a sought after world class artist. His paintings are found in collections around the world, and notably in the New South Wallers Art Gallery.
The Rug Makers: dedicated to their craft! Here they painstakingly colour match the artist's palette...
The technical expertise of our collaborators is key to our pioneering core range of wallpapers, ceramics wall tiles & rugs, and our made to order service.
My Country is unique in translating authentic Central Australian Aboriginal artwork into interior surfaces. Due to the meaning and spiritual importance of every element in the artworks, we make sure to enlist state of the art techniques to preserve the detailed quality of each piece.
Translating the quality of the artists' brushstrokes and character, and in particular their sophisticated use of colour across mediums posed a real technical challenge, to which our collaborators masterfully rose!
Tada! Our vibrant Water Dreaming rug, 100% wool (200cm x 140cm).
Mina Mina Dreamtime Rug, 100 % wool, hand knotted.
The wonderful throbbing, pulsating and constantly moving work of Pauline Nangala Gallagher is influenced by a semi-blindness in one eye. Whilst this might be a disadvantage in day to day life, it gives her a wholly unique perspective. Pauline’s country is Pikilyi (Vaughan Springs), a sacred water hole 350 km north-west of Alice Springs. Canvases and paints have been dropped to this remote location since 2005. Pauline paints her stories using a huge array of colours influenced by the colours of her country.
Bay Gallery Home offers bespoke, made to order rugs from our vast collection of authentic Australian Aboriginal Artworks recounting the Aboriginal Dreamtime.
My Country rugs are hand-knotted and available in wool, bamboo silk, Chinese silk or art viscose silk. They can be made to any size, colours may be altered, though the design must stay the same.
Our rugs are manufactured through the ‘GoodWeave’ programme and distributed from the UK.
Water Dreaming (Ngapa Jukurrpa) - Puruyrru, 100% wool hand made rug.
The artist, Shanna, is the great grand-daughter of Paddy Japaljarri Sims (Dec) and Bessie Nakamarra Sims (Dec), two of the senior Aboriginal artists at the forefront of the Aboriginal art movement. Shanna started painting when she was 14 years old. Her favourite Jukurrpa, or Dreaming, is the highly complex Water Dreaming, Puyurru, which she depicts in deceptively simple terms and an unrestricted palette.
Bay Gallery Home offers bespoke, made to order rugs from our vast collection of authentic Australian Aboriginal Artworks recounting the Aboriginal Dreamtime.
My Country rugs are hand-knotted and available in wool, bamboo silk, Chinese silk or art viscose silk. They can be made to any size, colours may be altered, though the design must stay the same.
Our rugs are manufactured through the ‘GoodWeave’ programme and distributed from the UK.
Margaret Kemarre Ross, Bush Flowers & Medicine Plants.
"We look for these plants in rocky country, we can find a little purple plum that we use to clean the kidneys and sometimes for flu. The yellow flowers are used for scabies, we boil them in water and wash our skin with it. The pink flowers we use for when we have sore eyes, we mix the flowers with water and the colour changes to a light green."
The Australian Aboriginal people are the one of the oldest continuous populations on earth, and their visual language is considered one of the world’s oldest Art forms, spanning over 50,000 years. The connection to 'country' is essential. Their tribal Dreamings, creation and mapping myths, rituals and sacred topography inspire bold, beautiful abstract paintings featuring the landscape, plants and animals of Australia's central desert. The Aboriginals see no difference between themselves, the sky, the land and the animals they share it with. All are one and the same.
My Country, Bush Onion 2 sequence of ceramic wall tiles
Australian Bustard birds feature in this Bush Onion Dreaming story, traditionally jealous of the larger, stronger Emu. The altercations between these birds are often recounted in Australian Aboriginal lore.
This sequence of four tiles is made up of two end tile designs and one middle tile design that can be used as many times as desired. It creates a lovely dynamic symmetrical effect at large scale, we encourage you to use it as a focal point, border or in one of our furniture designs!.
One of our beautiful hand crafted Cedar of Lebanon dining tables, made in Gloucestershire from sustainably managed woodlands.
An elegant combination of red ochre & the slight irregularities of hand painted art, reminiscent of Jali screens – shown here used en masse as a feature in bathrooms, kitchen splash backs, fireplaces...
Bush onion, or janmarda, can be found in the river banks and are dug up using digging sticks. The Aboriginal people wait for the leaves to dry out before eating it. So long as the bulb is white inside, it will be eaten raw or cooked.
Through her painting, the tile artist Sarah Napurrula White is telling a Bush Onion Dreaming, or Janmarda Jukurrpa. One of the main sites for this story is Purrupurru, in the remote red centre of Australia, where you can see an old Jungarrayi man in the form of a large stone figure.
Sarah also likes to paint Bush Onion Dreamings because she likes the designs and patterns. When she’s not painting, Sarah works for the aged and children, and on weekends she loves to go hunting with the old people.
The majority of our artists are women who play an active role in their communities, not only practically but in building communal ties through the visual language of Dreamtime painting.
With their geometric harmony, these ceramic tiles lend themselves to versatile use, from en masse styling as a splash back, to design feature in our bespoke furniture range.
Bush Onion 1 beautifully offsetting modern minimalism.
Emu Dreaming denotes a sacred waterhole where initiation ceremonies are performed. The jealousy between Emus and the Australian Bustard are a theme of Dreamtime, and they would be found fighting over bush raisins around the site...
The artist, Sarah Napurrarula White, lives and paints several hours away from the main art centre. Every few weeks art centre workers drive three hours to the remote settlement on her traditional homelands that she shares with her young family.
Her paintings were used for several tile designs due to their simple, beautiful graphic nature – giving them an aesthetic versatility when used in space: whether modern, rustic or eclectic!
My Country, Wallpaper BLUE depicts Kangaroo plant & Pigweed plentiful after the rain, a rich source of food for Kangaroos.
In this depiction, Michelle Pula Morton introduces us to a microscopic view of the land she cherishes, an intimate portrayal that is a distinct departure from her typical work.
In 2013, Michelle was awarded the 30th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) People’s Choice in 2013. The award recognises important contributions made by Indigenous artists from regional and urban areas throughout Australia, working in both traditional and contemporary media
