Glen Helen Station

Lenie Namatjira continued the legacy of the renowned watercolourist, Albert Namatjira. Lenie is the daughter of Oscar Namatjira, Albert’s son, and refined the techniques passed down to her to produce delicate watercolours of her beloved country west of Ntaria (Hermannsburg).

Lenie Namatjira grew up at Hermannsburg and was taught to paint by her father, Oscar Namatjira. Oscar had learnt to paint from his father, spending a great deal of time with him while he was working. Indeed for a period of about 12 months Oscar was Albert’s ‘driver’, taking Namatjira and his supplies to different painting locations and acquiring the skills to become an accomplished artist in his own right.

Namatjira’s earlier works are distinguished by the use of subtle variations of colour to create perspective and shadow, as well as soft fields of colour that gently merge to add depth and distance, resulting in calm, composed scenes that reflect the nostalgia of memory. In 'Glen Helen Station' 2015 Namatjira intensifies her use of colour and heightens the use of detail. This results in a graphic quality that may be the influence of Ivy Pareroultja with whom Namatjira worked closely.