Elizabeth Kunoth Kngwarreye is the daughter of Nancy Petyarre, one of the celebrated Petyarre sisters widely recognised as important painters of the Utopia region. Elizabeth lives at Mosquito Bore with her husband Cowboy Loy Pwerle, who is also a famous artist. She has only been painting in this style since 2005.
Elizabeth paints the Leaf, Seed and Flower of the Bush Yam, an important tuber plant that grows in Utopia Region, in a series of tiny coloured flicks that undulate across the canvas. The painting refers to Atnwelarre (commonly known as the pencil yam), which is the tuber found on a slender plant with yellow flowers. In her paintings, she shows the wind moving through the yam plant, producing a beautiful and captivating sense of movement. Atnwelarre has been a staple food source for millennia for the Anmetyerre people.
