Maxine Stuart

Maxine was born at New Crown Station, not far from the Finke community. Her mothers country is Indulkana, and her fathers is Finke. Maxine spent her childhood growing up between these two communities, and occassionaly living near to various cattle stations as her father would get work as a station hand and musterer.

Maxine had an older brother Yanke and a younger brother Geoffry. Growing up the childen and their parents never had a house, they built wiltja’s (hand made shelters) wherever they traveled. At Indulkana they lived on the banks of the Indulkana creek close to family and friends who were settling at the community.

Maxine was taught at the community school, which was also a large wiltja, run by local women such as Betty Muffler, Angkuna Baker, and Nellie Coulthard. These women all paint together side by side now at Iwantja Arts. Maxine learnt very good English by playing with children of the station masters who lived at the cattle stations at the same time she was there.

While painting, Maxine says that she thinks about her time at Indulkana and Finke, and particularly about her time at the nearby Dalhousie – famous with visitors today for its rich flora and natural hot springs. Maxine says “I like to paint the soakages and rockholes. When I paint I think about the times I spent with family at Dalhousie, swimming at the hot springs. The water is very warm – like a big bath. We would swim all day and eat the tasty dates from the tree’s in the evening. There is a lot of salt bush in the area too. When I’m painting, I like to choose the warm colours, warm like the water at Dalhousie.”