Janice Murray, Etching Tiwi Motif VIII, Jilamara 1998 26/60

Etching Tiwi Motif VIII, Jilamara (1998) is a striking example of contemporary Tiwi printmaking grounded in ceremonial design. Paper 76x56cm Image: 66x49cm. Created using the complex techniques of sugarlift, open-bite and aquatint, and printed from multiple plates, this limited edition etching demonstrates Janice Murray’s mastery of tonal depth, texture and rhythm. The layered mark-making echoes the visual language of jilamara — the ceremonial body-paint designs central to Tiwi identity.

Born in 1966 in Milikapati on the Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory, Janice Murray is a senior artist working across painting, printmaking and carving. She has been a dedicated member of Jilamara Arts & Crafts since 1995. The art centre, Indigenous-owned and community-led, has represented Tiwi artists nationally and internationally since 1989, fostering the continuation of cultural knowledge through contemporary media.

Murray’s work translates traditional Tiwi forms — historically painted on bark or the body — into powerful contemporary compositions. Her motifs often reference the abundant birdlife of the islands, reflecting both totemic significance and daily life. Belonging to the Tarnikini (Flying Fox) skin group, she brings personal and ancestral narratives into each composition.

A defining aspect of Murray’s practice is her commitment to natural ochres. She gathers pigments from her Country, grinding and mixing them by hand to produce rich, earthy tones. This direct engagement with land ensures that her prints and paintings carry both material and spiritual connection to place.

In 2017, Murray was awarded the Australian Print Workshop Collie Print Trust Fellowship, producing a major series of limited-edition prints based on Tiwi birdlife. Her work is held in significant public collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria and The British Museum, affirming her position as a leading figure in contemporary Indigenous Australian printmaking.

This 1998 etching captures the vitality of Tiwi ceremonial design while asserting Murray’s distinctive voice within Australian art.