June Peters / Texas (Ngarrgaroon) Hills (19408)

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 many 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 Gija land, including Texas Downs, Purnululu and Doon Doon. This gives the artist a wonderful content for her works, and June is fastidious about the Gija 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.

I have painted my family’s country, Texas Downs (Ngarrgaroon), on the eastern side near Purnululu. The hills are a little bit bigger on Texas than in the Bungle Bungles. The hills to the north are called Red Butte Country. There’s always water from the tributaries of the Ord and not far from this place is Fish Hole which has water all year round. It’s not too far from Turkey Creek (where June’s family resides), so I can take my grandchildren there for swimming. That’s one of my favourite places on Texas Downs.