Kakadu artist's 'rock art' paintings in high demand

Sitting at a table in a tiny art gallery nestled inside Kakadu National Park, Blaldja artist Ivan Namarnyilk slowly paints precise, thin strokes with his manyilk, a traditional brush made of sedge grass.

But before Namarnyilk even has the chance to finish his pieces, tourists visiting the Marrawuddi Arts and Culture Centre in Jabiru are asking to buy them.

"I'm not a machine," he jokes.

"You gotta be patient, no rushing. We gotta be steady."

Taught by his father, fellow prominent artist Spider Namirrki, at Mudginberri Station, Namarnyilk has been painting "rock art" on paper since he was a teenager.

More than three decades on, Namarnyilk is keeping his culture alive by passing it on to the next generation.

"My art is really, really special," he says.

"It's really special for me and for my future kids.

"Today we [are] using all this new, modern style but the original was like the rock art."

Known for his detailed, x-ray style works, Namarnyilk mainly uses ochre to paint or scratch-draw local animals and cultural totems before applying his signature, mouth-blown clay handprint.

"We use natural colour like red ochre, white clay, yellow ochre," he says.

"I like painting spirit man, kangaroo, echidna, turtle, fish like barramundi or black bream.

"We respect our totems — my father's totem is irritja [wedge-tailed eagle] and my mother's is duwa [mud crab]."

In August, Namarnyilk sold thousands of dollars worth of his art at his first solo exhibition during the Mahbilil Festival in Jabiru.

He says sharing his pieces was "really special" and vital for helping to financially support his family.

"I like helping my community," he says.

"I like painting; it's really, really important because to me, it's like the country, the animals, the people, everything has connection [in] our culture."

A different style

Over the past 25 years, more than 500 West Arnhem Indigenous artists have sold pieces at the Marrawuddi Arts and Culture Centre.

Business manager Caron Farrell says the gallery buys artwork "up-front" from about 30 regular makers, with 40 per cent of sales proceeds going towards keeping the centre open.

"This space does all of West Arnhem so it's really important for the artists to be able to bring their art here in all different forms," she says.

"A lot of the artists are a long way from us, so the art will be brought in by plane or by family members. The regular artists that live within Jabiru or Mudginberri, they will come here and paint."

Ms Farrell says it's a treat for holiday-makers passing through Jabiru to watch the artists paint, scratch, draw and weave onsite, before taking the pieces back to their homes all around the world.

"It's really important for Jabiru to get the tourists in and keep this place going for that art to be in homes," she says.

"I think they get a bit shocked of how much there is and how vast the art is, like [it's] a little bit different say to central desert, the style.

"Obviously, West Arnhem, it's art that you see on all the rock formations, compared to say, central desert, where it's the dot painting.

"You find visitors are quite taken aback to the different styles that are here."