Aboriginal Art Painted By Wesley Willika

Wesley Willika is an Aboriginal Artist who was born in Katherine on 19/2/68. Katherine is a small town, even though it is the 3rd largest town in the Northern Territory, 300klms south of Darwin. He is from the Jawyon tribe whose land takes in Nitmiluk Gorge, and the communities of Beswick, Bulman and Barunga, amongst others. At present he lives in the Werrenbun community near Katherine in the Northern Territory. It is a beautiful little community situated close to Edith Falls, part of the Nitmiluk Gorge. Nitmiluk Gorge is actually a system of 13 Gorges running from the Kakadu National Park all the way down to Katherine. During the Wet Season the waterfalls are absolutely spectacular. He learnt the craft of an Aboriginal Artist from established artists such as Paddy Fordham, as well as utilizing his natural instincts.

He went to school at the Barunga Community School, about an hours drive from Katherine, reaching Yr9. Wesley has 3 sisters and 2 brothers, is married but has no children. He is a shy, quietly spoken man with very little formal education who is trying to make his way in the world the only way he knows how, by utilizing his natural artistic instincts. The subjects of his Aboriginal Art are Echidna, Kangaroo, Fish and Water Moniter. Wesley can’t paint in a room or studio, well he can, but he won’t, he only feels the flow of his artistic juices out in the open air, under a tree, or next to a creek.

I first met Wesley when I was working for a remote employment agency, needless to say, there are not many employment opportunities for an Aboriginal man who has only achieved an education level of year 9, who lives 50klms from a small town of only 9,000 people, with English being his second language. He had already been painting for a number of years, the only thing that I could think of, employment wise, was to encourage him to continue with his Aboriginal Art, and urge him to spend more time with his painting and less with his hunting. But a man has to feed his family. Hunting is not only a necessity for Wesley, it is also his pleasure in life, he loves to be out in the bush, that is where he truly belongs.

Wesley travelled to Sydney once, and he felt like Crocodile Dundee going to New York for the first time. He saw things that he had never seen before; he told me that he could never live in the big city. He needs the fresh air, the bush, hunting, fishing, and taking the time to just think about things that really matter.

Wesley’s Aboriginal Artwork has been sold Internationally, as well as at exhibitions held in Sydney, Australia. His mediums are canvas and Bark (Rarrk) as well as Didgeridoos. If you would like to see some of Wesley’s Art just search the internet you will be quietly surprised by the popularity of his art which should be a great investment for the future.

Article Source: http://www.articleopus.com

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