Wild Flowers, 2007 by Lucky Morton Kngwarreye 122x182cm

Lucky's paintings are inspired by her country of Ngkwarlerlaneme and Arnkawenyerr.

In the countries grows the Ilyarn or Ilyarnayt , a common variety of Acacia (wattle) and is a favoured plant due to the abundance of edible grubs (known as ilyarnayt and are similar to witchetty grubs) that live in its roots and also for the seeds ( ntang ilyarnayt ). The local aboriginal people will collect these seeds and ground them into a paste for making damper (a type of bread).

As with many common acacia's, the plant has small ball shaped, yellow coloured flowers and many artists from Ngkwarlerlanem and Arnkawenyerr in the northern Utopia region depict them in their paintings. This plant and wildflower is an important Dreamtime story that belongs to these countries.

Lucky Morton Kngwarreye was born in 1952 at MacDonald Downs Station at Utopia, a community 240 kilometres north east of Alice Springs. She is the oldest daughter of Mary Morton Kemarre, a senior law woman. Like many other key Utopian painters, her career started in the late 70's with the Batik Group that was formed by Rodney Gooch under CAAMA, sponsored by The Holmes a Court Collection, which along with the painting project a year later, toured both Australia and overseas.

All of Lucky's Dreamtime stories belong to her countries Ngkwarlerlaneme and Arnkawenyerr. This painting is inspired by the Dreamtime story of the Ilyarn or Ilyarnayt, a common variety of acacia.

Lucky has featured in many group exhibitions since beginning her artistic career in 1977. The oldest daughter of fellow Utopian artist Mary Morton Kemarre, Lucky participated in batik workshops that were held in Utopia from 1977 to 1987 with her mother and younger siblings. Her work is represented in the Holmes a Court Collection which was exhibited extensively within Australia and abroad.

Like most other batik artists living in Utopia, Lucky made the transition to painting in the summer of 1988-9 as part of CAAMA’s “The First works on Canvas, a Summer Project”. With a more adaptable and effortless medium, Lucky continued to paint with acrylics and has travelled both to Sydney and Melbourne for exhibitions featuring her work. Lucky has also worked briefly with wood sculpture.

When Lucky was growing up she attended a bush school near Hatcher’s Creek which is North East of Utopia and spent her childhood years growing up around Kurrajong Camp in Utopia and MacDonnell Downs Station. For many years, Lucky has attended Bachelor College in Alice Springs which has seen her travel to Darwin and Tenant Creek for further education.

Lucky paints an extraordinary variety of stories which she says comes from two Countries. These countries are Ngkwarlerlanem and Arnkawenyerr of which she belongs to.