Mitjili was born circa 1945 at Haasts Bluff, Central Australia. Mitjili is a Pintupi woman from the Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) region in the Northern Territory. Since commencing painting in 1993 at the Ikuntji Womens Centre, Mitjili Napurrula has developed a reputation as one of the most innovative of the contemporary Central Desert painters. Her canvases are patterned with strong, vibrant colours, and contain an incredible energy. Mitjili is a Pintupi woman from the Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) region in the Northern Territory. Since commencing painting in 1993 at the Ikuntji Womens Centre, Mitjili Napurrula has developed a reputation as one of the most innovative of the contemporary Central Desert painters. Her canvases are patterned with strong, vibrant colours, and contain an incredible energy.
The image that is painted is a representation of trees that provide the wood for the making of spears and other wooden objects. The country where the trees are found is Uwalki, Mitjili’s fathers country. Mitjili was taught her fathers dreaming by her mother, who drew images of Uwalki, (also the name of the trees that traditionally provide wood for spears) in the sand. Mitjili’s distinctive style has gained her a strong following within Australia and internationally with regular sellout exhibitions. Mitjili Napurrula sometimes collaborates with her husband, celebrated painter Long Tom Tjapanangka, winner of the prestigious Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award 1999.
