Bay Gallery Home recently wrote a feature article about Aboriginal art for London based I-M Magazine (Intelligent Magazine for Inquisitive Minds). An excerpt is available online with the full article published in the new issue now available at all good outlets including Harvey Nichols, Holland Park News, Princess News and Wardour News. The article serves as an introduction to Aboriginal art giving the reader a brief history of Aboriginal art and a broad insight into the different styles and areas the art hails from.
Bay Gallery Home is working hard on creating 'Songlines' our first collection of fabrics based on paintings by artists we proudly represent. We have developed the world's first Aboriginal velvets available in three colours with slightly differing depictions of the Goanna Dreaming (Warnu Jukurrpa) - essentially a love story set in the Central Desert of Australia. In keeping with our 'design with origin' ethos we have been faithful to the original artwork in the design work thereby protecting the Dreamtime story and the intent of the artist. Keep an eye on the website over the next month or so as beautiful tableware, blinds and cushions will be amongst our first offerings.
We have recently built a Testimonial page under our About section on the website. If you have bought from us and would like to give us some feedback please email us at alexandra@baygalleryhome.com and we will add your comments to our site.
We send products all over the world ensuring they are all the best quality and safely packaged and as such we've never had anything returned, which we're very proud of.
If you intend to buy from us but are mulling over which wonderful Bay Gallery Home item to buy please keep our Testimonial page in mind should you go ahead with purchasing from us.
'My Country' - Blue wallpaper depicting Kangaroo and Pigweed, found all over the Central Desert looking beautiful with chinaware designs by the world renowned artist Murdie Nampijinpa who paints Two Dogs Dreaming. Murdie is one of the elders sometimes known as the "first contact" group who lived a nomadic traditional lifestyle with their families before the "white fella" made contact. This generation performed ceremonies that, in some cases, are no longer performed but the Dreamtime stories are still told so subsequent generations can maintain their language and connection to the land - their Country.
Original artwork by Murdie is available from www.baygalleryhome.com. These paintings were selected on our last visit to the outback. There's a rawness, depth and spirit to them that speaks to you from thousands of years ago.
Bay Gallery Home adds wallets and coin purses to its expanding gift and homeware range. This leather vegetable dyed collection features Aboriginal Dreamtime stories from the Central Desert, Western Australian and coastal areas of the Northern Territory. They are made in West Bengal using the ancient Shanti craft reinvigorated by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore during the Mahatma Ghandi era. Designs are applied using batik printing or hand painted. They are the product of a cross cultural exchange supporting Aboriginal artists and Kolkata - West Bengal artisans.
Each design comes with an explanation of its unique Dreamtime story. The wallets are secured by a zip which goes around the whole body - incredibly useful for keeping your cards and money safe while travelling.
More designs, sizes and colours available from February.
Sabrina is a young Aboriginal Central Desert artist related to the famous colour field abstractionist Shorty Jangala Robertson; like Shorty she paints Ngapa Jukurrpa (Pirlinyarnu) inheriting it from her father and grandfather who in turn learnt it from generations across millennia. Her mother is the world renowned artist Dorothy Napangardi (recently featured in the Australia exhibition at the Royal Academy). Mount Farewell (Pirlinyarnu) is where Sabrina's Dreaming sits in her traditional lands are. She has chosen to depict the sacred Dreamtime story, in a way unique to her, where water appears to travel across the canvas with small water soakages encased in the rain drops and native plants and animals dot the land.
In 2014 her work was selected for 'Same Country Same Jukurrpa' at the Australian Museum. Sabrina's painting was shown alongside hugely important artists of the desert community she comes from including Judy Napangardi Watson, Alma Nungarrayi Granites and Otto Jungarrayi Sims. The exhibition followed on from the world's first Aboriginal women only exhibition held at the Museum in 1992 entitled 'Woman Artists'. The new exhibitions aim was to show the development in artistic styles amongst the artists as they moved away from traditional circular dot painting to establish their unique styles as artists whilst sharing their ancestors stories.
You can by the painting in the gallery or online at www.baygalleryhome.com
Ngapa Jukurrpa Pirlinyarnu, Sabrina Nangala Robertson, Acrylic on linen 30x30cm
The winter nights have drawn in so why not look at our beautiful evening skies? Perhaps you'll see a cigar-shaped alien space ship (or meteor?) gliding through it. If you're sky is light polluted take inspiration from Australia's milky way as depicted on these teapots, mugs, sugar pots, cup and saucers, milk jugs and bowls. Alma's paintings were a sell out at her only solo UK exhibition held at Bay Gallery Home but her chinaware continues to be one of our most popular designs. Available online www.baygalleryhome.com or in the gallery.
These beautiful, colourful, vibrant silk scarves featuring Aboriginal designs from original artworks by two Central Desert communities in Australia make fantastic presents any time of year but as it's Christmas spoil your loved one with something totally unique. Available in two sizes. The Dreamtime designs come in lovely gift boxes. Both have information about the artist and the artwork.
You can purchase online www.baygalleryhome.com or in the gallery. £60-£120
Over December we have many beautiful gift ideas for you (we should all treat ourselves to a guilty pleasure at Christmas time) and your loved ones including our stock of fabulous paintings and our new home and giftware items. Keep an eye on our website for new products as it will be updated over the next week. On December 7 we will be open late for the Tetbury, Gloucestershire Christmas light party. As the main event is on our doorstop we're the perfect place to party while you shop. We'll be keeping things merry by serving wine, beer and cheeses.
On December 18 we will be holding another event as part of the Tetbury Edit collective - we'll be sharing more on that later.
Our last day of trading in the gallery is Saturday 23 December until 2 January. We can honour any websales over that period but please take into account post office opening times.
To see our new artwork please go to the online Art shop. The paintings can be bought online or in our Tetbury, Cotswolds gallery. We have some really fantastic new paintings by established and emerging artists; Bay Gallery Home is particularly excited about Steven Jupurrurla Nelson's flourishing career - his paintings exude the energy of Jackson Pollock, the expansive work of Flora Nakamarra Brown and the beautifully detailed Seven Sister's Dreaming paintings Justinna Napaljarri Sims is producing.
Above: Flora Nakamarra Brown, Mina Mina Dreaming 91cmx91cm Acrylic on linen
Our wonderful My Country ceramic wall tiles have been reduced as a special Christmas gift to our clients. Please get in touch if you'd like to order at £20 off per tile over the Christmas period. Or you can order online at www.baygalleryhome.com.
Our innovative Bush Onion 2 tile sequence lets you create your own artwork: perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, pools and summer houses.
The artists in the Communities we represent are known for their use of bold use of colour with expansive swathes of it journeying across their canvases. Some like Shorty Jangala Robertson became known as a world class colour field abstractionist were its pioneers Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Clyfford Style. Shorty would not have been aware of these artists nor their search for myth, meaning and the infinite expressed through abstraction. Instead he would have drawn on his skin name's Dreamtime stories taking colours from what he saw around him in Australia's Central Desert. With the establishment of art centres he and the other artists accessed many fabulous acrylic paints they utilised to great effect as evidence in the art we sell. The artists continue to experiment with colour and technique producing an exciting body of work. Amongst those is the incredibly talented Steven Jupurrula whose work you can see below.
A good Pantone green making itself onto Aboriginal canvases including those by emerging artist Steven Jupurrula
We recently sold this piece - new works by Steven Jupurrula will be in the Gallery soon.
Papunya Tula is the legendary site where the contemporary Aboriginal art movement bloomed becoming famous for its Western Desert dot art.
Amongst the different displaced Western Desert people's brought to Papunya Tula (Tula meaning small hill where a Honey ant dreaming sits) were Tommy Watson, Clifford Possum and Ningura Napurrula, each of whom went on to become wildly successful international artists.
The original company now operates from Alice Springs but we paid a visit to the existing art centre and found some of the sacred iconography depicted in the early works honoured while developing new interpretations of their ancient Dreamtime stories.
We had to keep a respectful distance while photographing the artists. Close up the paintings were breathtaking. Below is the landscape around the art centre.
As part of our expanding body beautiful and giftware range we now have scented goats milk and shea butter body bars. The designs on each part is from an established Aboriginal artists original painting depicting the Dreamtime.
Royalties from the sale of the body bars go to the artists and their community.
Visit our online store under Interiors or visit us in the gallery.
The MacDonnell Ranges run 664km across the Northern Territory, Australia through the Aboriginal countries and communities we represent. The Ranges are integral to their life and Dreamtime stories.
The Aboriginals (the Arrernte mob) believe three giant caterpillars: Yeperenye, Ntyarlke and Utnerrengatye created the stunning ranges after emerging from of an escarpment in Mparntwe or Alice Springs. Rock art exists at Emily Gap near Alice Springs which tells the story of the caterpillars emergence and bitter fight with the Irlperenye or giant stink bug which killed the caterpillars off.
Caterpillar remains made rock formations and gaps in the ranges. Surviving Yeperenye caterpillars made the rivers and the trees and in some Aboriginal Dreamtime stories the Caterpillar dreaming resides underneath the eucalyptus trees.
The McDonnell Ranges and the flora living on them is often depicted in the Aboriginal artwork and wallpapers we sell. The Country where they sit is the embodiment of the Aboriginal people who have been custodians of the land for at least 40,000 years.
The MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs
My Grandmother's Country by Denise Ngwarraye Bonney 107x51cm available online or in the gallery.
