Lorna Kantilla

Lorna Kantilla is a Tiwi artist who has been working at the Ngaruwanajirri Art Centre, Bathurst Island, since it was established in 1994.

Primarily a painter, Lorna Kantilla works with locally sourced ochres on canvas and paper. Recently, she has transitioned to watercolours on paper and enjoys the greater variety of colours the medium has to offer.

Lorna expresses her love for Tiwi through jilamara (design and colour) these works are stunning in their subtlety and intensity showing her enjoyment of painting through lines, dots and the ever-present circles.

Lorna’s brush stokes are spontaneous, purposeful and strong. Her unique motifs connect with her culture in confident, flowing strokes using lines, dots or circular patterns.

Lorna’s subject focuses on Tiwi jilamara inspired by Tiwi bush food. Many paintings contain a circular motif, symbolising the Jukwarringa (Mud Mussel).

She is strongly influenced by her daily life living in community on the Tiwi Islands – playing cards, hunting for mud mussels, yuwurli (mangrove worm) and piranga (welk) in the mangroves and talking with friends at the Nguiu Social Club.

Lorna is also passionate about Tuyu Buffalos, her Tiwi Islands football team and has been a very loyal supporter over the years.

Lorna’s work is held in the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education Collection, the Charles Darwin University Art Collection, the University of Wollongong Art Collection, the University of Newcastle Art Collection Newcastle NSW and the Art Gallery of South Australia.