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Australian Indigenous society is incredibly complex, successfully devised to suit both environment and context. Intimacy with their surroundings, knowledge of their lands and an incorruptible social structure have helped the society survive for thousands of years in harsh environments. While Australian Indigenous peoples traditionally do not have written language, every person is acutely aware of the role they play in their community. Their stories are imbued with the extensive knowledge of the Dreamings passed down from one generation to the next; their song lines acting as musical maps that tell the truth of the landscape.

Watson started painting in 2001 and was one of the founding artists of the Irrunytju Art Centre. The narratives found within his paintings are irrelevant and Watson does not divulge the meanings of his paintings (although he does title each work and talk briefly about some stories). He developed his signature style very early in his career, Watson reveals that “I wanted to be different to other artists, I saw all the early Papunya artists long time ago and thought I could be different”. He doesn’t use a thin meat skewer to apply his paint like many Indigenous artists; he cuts an old paintbrush in half and then sands the end flat. His style is loose, and relaxed, he covers the canvas with multi coloured large uneven dots and will occasionally work over an existing colour to create an almost sculptural, three-dimensional effect. 

Watson has a natural gift of uncompromising creativity, instinctively knowing exactly where each colour combination is going to be placed. The ensuing patterns are beautifully balanced, full of intensity, saturation and texture, and he demonstrates a tremendous sensitivity for composition with most works conveying a strong sense of movement. In all of Watson’s works there is a finely balanced tension between order and chaos, with darker moodier backgrounds carrying a suggestion of infinite space.

“Watson is a master of invention. Each painting tells a specific story, but the most impressive feature is his use of colour. Like Matisse, Watson knows that one may have warm and cool shades of red, warm and cool shades of blue. But he knows this instinctively, without any formal training. What he knows cannot be verbalised, and cannot be taught, yet no one could see these paintings and not be convinced of its profundity,” says John McDonald, an art critic for the Australian-based Sydney Morning Herald. Ralph Hobbs of Art Equity exclaims, “Watson is our greatest living indigenous artist”.

His work is widely recognised nationally and internationally, and he has exhibited in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Western Australian Art Gallery, Perth; South Australian Art Gallery, Adelaide; Bond University and many notable private collections. In 2005, Watson was one of eight Australian Indigenous artists who were commissioned to produce artwork for the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, France. Australia’s contribution was particularly unique, with the architect Jean Nouvel requesting that the art works be integrated into the fabric of the building, embedded in its walls, ceilings and glass frontages. Watson’s own painting Wipu Rockhole (2006) was enlarged and reproduced on stainless steel tiles to adorn the museum’s ceiling.

As I take more photos, Watson intuitively continues to dip his stick into the various plastic pots of colours laid out in front of him and gently taps the canvas. The vibrant dots of magenta light, blood red lake, burgundy, cadmium orange and quinacridone purple start to dominate the canvas and symbolically represent the dreamtime journeys of his ancient ancestors, and the significant episodes in the history of his life.

I ask Watson more questions about his life and his culture and what has influenced and affected his paintings. “I paint my grandfather’s country and my grandmother’s country. That’s what I paint. When I was young, they would take me around that country, that’s why we all look after country and go out whenever we can. See if the rock holes are good and the grass is not too tall” he recalls.

Traditional western notions of time are depicted with a linear, definite beginning, with a progression of constructs such as hours, minutes, months and years. In other words, a yesterday, a now and a tomorrow. In reality, however, this concept of time is nothing but a western theory, a measure in which events can be categorised and given some order and meaning. Watson obviously does not subscribe to these concepts noting that the oral history of Indigenous culture is ever present and interconnected, “the Dreamings is now, the Dreaming is not a metaphor it exists,” he adds.

“It’s all my country. Walu is a rock hole, Untju Akata is my mother’s country and Pukara is a place.” His paintings are rich in knowledge of the topographical landforms of his country and the Tjukurrpa law that underpins his knowledge. He very briefly talks about the sacred Dreaming Stories that are important to him, like the Great Flood Dreaming about the melting ice that flooded the lands north of the Great Australian Bight. He goes on to tell the story of the Pangkalangku, tall man-eaters from the north-east and the conflicts between the Pitjantjatjara and the Yankunyatjarra.

Before I leave Watson’s studio he reflects on his recent artistic output, “soon there will be no more stories. No more painting.”

Image Credits:
Image 01. Yannima Pikarli Tommy Watson. Photo copyright Ken McGregor.
Image 02. Yannima Pikarli Tommy Watson, Walunja, 2014, Acrylic on Belgian linen, 152 x 244 cm. Image courtesy of Piermarq Gallery Sydney.
Image 03. Yannima Pikarli Tommy Watson, Pirurpa Kalarintja, 2014, Acrylic on Belgian linen, 152 x 244 cm. Image courtesy of Piermarq Gallery Sydney.
Image 04. Yannima Pikarli Tommy Watson, Ngayuku Ngura, 2014, Acrylic on Belgian linen, 152 x 244 cm. Image courtesy of Piermarq gallery.