During Reconciliation Week, Year 3 and 4 students used simple shapes and vibrant colours to create pastel drawings of native Australian birds inspired by Walmajarri elder and artist Nyangulya Katie Nalgood. This was a way for the students to connect with the rich and varied birdlife we see on Kaurna country, especially within our school grounds, and make connections with who we share Kaurna country with. This unit of work also related to a citizen science project Backyard Birds and 'Birds of Tea Tree Gully'.

Louisa Raymond | Aboriginal Education Teacher | Para Vista Primary School

About the artist

Nalgood has always enjoyed painting, but it was her late husband, Mr Nyaparu (William) Gardiner, also an artist, who introduced her to Spinifex Hill Studio in South Hedland. This is where she started painting birds and has done so ever since.

Nyangulya Katie Nalgood has a deep connection to birds. Rather than relying on clocks, her days align with nature and the sounds of birds, not alarms. When she was a school student, Nalgood painted pictures of houses, trees, and animals, now she paints birds. When she started painting birds Nalgood worked with her children, who would help her draw the birds and give her advice. These days she works on her own, painting birds from her Country and anywhere else she goes.