Pegleg Tjampitjinpa, a senior Pintupi painter, was born around 1920 in the Wilkinkarra area. He paints the Men's Dreaming cycle of the Tingari ancestors.

Biography

Pegleg Tjampitjinpa was born about 1920. Until 1957 he lived in the vicinity of Wilkinkarra, and in 1964 he moved with his family to Yuendumu. He has been a trustee of the Wilkinkarra Land Trust since 1984. Now living at Mt Liebig (Watiyawalu), Pegleg was a close friend of Pinta Pinta Tjapanangka, a painter and relative, and began to paint under his infuence while at Walungurru. When Pegleg's eyesight began to fail he left off painting for some while, but an eye operation has restored his sight and he is painting once again.

The Paintings

Pegleg Tjampitjinpa paints the Men's Dreaming cycle of the Tingari ancestors. He uses the rough outlines of traditional designs, connected roundels and dots, usually with unmixed ochres on black or dark red backgrounds. In some ways his paintings are reminiscent of the style of the Pintupi painters of the early 1970's, but his striking work is immediately recognisable as his own.

Exhibitions

Pegleg's paintings featured in the important exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW, 'Papunya Tula - Genesis and Genius' in 2000. He is represented in major public and private collections throughout Australia and overseas.

Sources