“When I was young, my dad used to take me and my brothers into the bush to find honey ants and hunting malu (kangaroo,) we would travel the traditional way, sleeping in the warm sand and eating maku (witchety grubs.) My paintings show my country, Yankunytjatjara country.There is a lot of energy here, and I like to capture that in my paintings.”

Heather paints the iconography of the desert landscape. Dotted markings map out the rock-holes, creeks, sacred sites belonging to her family and the places she has traveled. Her palette is rich and sunburnt, the colours mimic the tones of the red sandy desert during the changing light of day. Her paintings are bold yet tender; there is a consciousness to the imagery, a glimpse at the power of the Yankunytjatjara lands.

Iwantja Arts is an Aboriginal artist studio located within the remote Indigenous community of Indulkana, on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of Central Australia. Iwantja Arts is a non-profit Aboriginal corporation, owned and governed by a self-elected board of directors. The art centre aims to encourage and support artistic excellence and cultural development within the community, providing opportunities, career development, and economic independence for practicing artists.