Goanna Spring

Size: 90 x 120cm
earth ochre and acrylic on linen

Rusty Peters is a senior Gija man from the East Kimberley’s in Western Australia. His detailed knowledge of his land and stories is portrayed in his paintings using traditional red and yellow ochres and black charcoal. 

‘This part is about 40 miles from my grandfather’s country on Springvale.  This is the country for Goanna Dreaming.  Big rocks everywhere. 

In the Dreamtime, that old Goanna said “I’m hungry”.  Well, the frog thought “I can’t talk – that Goanna might eat me now”.  So, all around this place there are frogs, but they don’t say too much.  This is good country for Goanna hunting – all those big white rocks there, well they are made from the Goanna fat – everywhere around this place’.

Rusty Peters, 2006