Sugar Glider etching by Don Namundja 14x19cm

This beautiful cultural gift is an original, hand-printed limited etching is by Don Nakadilinj Namundja who language is Kunwinjku from Oenpelli in Western Arnhem Land where he lives at a bush camp called Gudjamandi. He had his first solo show in 2004 and was hung in the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards the following year. He has since exhibited widely and been collected by the National Gallery of Australia.

Don works in ochres on bark and paper, and he has made three etchings at Basil Hall Editions. His signature images are animals such as possum, sugar glider and flying fox, which are important with Kardbam clan mythology and reference and important area for his clan in Central Arnhem Land.

For this etching, Don worked in Darwin on the main zinc plate by painting his glider with a traditional hair brush and sugar lift. The design was then etched in acid and transferred to a second plate, allowing a second colour to be used (the yellow) for the body of the animal.

Medium: Etching and aquatint, edition: 100, Plate drawn and Etched: Darwin, November 2005

Handprinted by: Monique Auricchio at Basil Hall Editions, Darwin for the Collectors Edition.