Tommy Mitchell
Born in Papulankutja, 1943 and lives in Warakurna
Tommy’s paintings depict tjukurrpa (dreaming) from his father’s and mother’s country. His paintings are about the stories he was told from childhood. Tommy often speaks about his experiences of travelling around tali country (sandhills) with his family, “We lived in the bush, there was no hospital and no clothes and we were naked and it was cold. I hunted marlu, rabbit, tirnka (small goanna) and pussycat, it was good meat. We also collected tjarnmarta (bush onions), maku (bardi grubs) and kampurarrpa (bush raisins).” When Tommy was small, he went for a holiday and visited his cousin, Peter Lewis. Both men now live in Warakurna with their families and both paint for Warakurna Artists.
Tommy Mitchell is a senior law man, participating in traditional ceremony, and is instrumental in passing on his tjukurrpa to his family.
Tommy began painting in 2005. He is also a well-known carver, making many traditional weapons still use din ceremony. He also participate din projects such as Tjukurl, a traditional dance and song project perfomred at the 2007 Perth International Arts Festival.
