June Peters / Dingo Dreaming (18325)

June was born on Texas Downs Station in 1962. She lost both her mother and father at a very young age however the late Madigan Thomas (Senior ochre artist and Law Woman) and her husband Sandy Thomas, a Traditional Elder, brought her up and treated her like a daughter.

June currently lives in Kununurra, has eight children and 11 grandchildren and visits her relatives at Warmun frequently.

She was taught painting from an early age by the best of our famous first generation ochre artists, including Jack Britten, Madigan Thomas and Lena Nyadbi. These Elders devoted their lives to teaching youngsters culture, Traditional Dreamtime stories and ochre painting technique.

June is the niece of our most famous ochre artist, Rover Thomas. June’s mother was one of five sisters (Rita being Rover’s wife) and every one of these women, all from Texas Downs Station, have produced highly talented artists. June’s eldest daughter Deanne is following in her mother’s footsteps and is an accomplished artist.

June has an extended family, and through her mother, father, aunties and uncles, is able to paint the huge expanse of Kitja land, including Texas Downs, Purnululu and Doon Doon. This gives the artist a wonderful content for her works, and June is fastidious about the Kitja Dreaming Stories represented in her paintings. She travels extensively in her country, and paints with precision and authenticity.

June paints both in the typical Warmun style (thick bulked ochre), as well as fine, detailed works in minimal palette and on occasion, wonderful works using the acrylic medium. June’s work has been quickly noticed and purchased by astute collectors and included in exhibitions at Australian galleries such as Japingka Gallery in Perth and Harrison Galleries and Gallery Tjukurrpa in Sydney plus international galleries in France, The Netherlands and USA.

June has a promising future and her paintings now hang with the best of her famous relatives.

In the Ngarrankarni (Dreaming) a man went hunting with his dogs in Maraninjji country, in the Goomooloo hills near the back of Bow River Station. He didn’t look after those dingo dogs – he was wrong because he needed them to help him hunt. He made camp at the bottom of the hills, fed himself, but didn’t give those dogs any water or food. The dogs were very cross and ran away. The next morning, the man went looking for them – he climbed one of the high hills and called and called for them. They wouldn’t come back. He stayed on that hill and turned into stone – some old people say the dingo dogs turned him into stone. He is there today in this high mountain country. This all really means you should be kind to your animals and never be greedy.