“Dot Paintings”
Abstractions in the Australian Aboriginal Papunya Tula Style
In 1986 the Department of Education of South Australia booked me for a 12 week tour of the provence. The tour was presented to me as a “landmark” journey in which I would visit and perform in the major cities and remote villages throughout South Australia. The final weeks of the tour were set in Aboriginal communities in which no one other than non-indigenous -“white fella”- missionaries had visited to preach and convert Aboriginal people; thus I would become the first "white fella" to play secular music for indigenous people in these communities. On this remarkable tour I first encountered the Papunya Tula style of Aboriginal “dot painting” and was fascinated with what I saw. Upon my return to America I decided to experiment with three paintings in the technique. Those three paintings put me on a journey that from 1986-1993 produced 117 paintings. Simply, each painting in the Papunya Tula style introduced me to something new to explore and compelled me to attempt yet another; most importantly, I felt with dot paintings I was learning more about color relationships than at any other point in my life. Most of the dot paintings were sold at restaurant or campus exhibitions, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar in Austin, or to private collectors. There are four shown here that are still for sale and they are indicated as such. All the other dot paintings were purchased in 1988 by an Omaha collector who prefers to remain anonymous. I long ago forgot the names and sizes of these pieces, but have indicated they are part of the "BLM/FLB" collection.