Fabric: printed cotton drill (front) and unprinted cotton (back)
Color: the base cloth is black and the inks are white (bottom screen) and grey (top screen). The back of the cushion is black.
Purchasing items made from hand-printed fabric supports Aboriginal artists (who get a royalty) and also creates a livelihood for the printers and sewers.
Please note that each cushion is unique and the placement of the design is different and wonderful on each item. The fabric was made into cushion covers by Mrs Pichreay our fair trade partner in Cambodia.
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The designer: Joe Guymala
Joe lives between Gunbalanya and his homeland Manmoyi. He frequently paints birds and creatures he sees in everyday life as well as his ancestral creation stories.
Whilst a gifted artist with an unique style, Joe has also toured nationally as a musician with Nabarlek Band and Mimih Band. He used his knowledge of country and traditional stories to write many of the songs.
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The design: Mayhmayh (Different Animals)
A keen observer of animals, Joe has created this playful design of mayhmayh – the Kunwinjku word for ‘many different birds’. The various birds featured in his design include pigeons, kookaburras, magpie geese, corellas, parrots and black cockatoos – all live in west Arnhem Land.
These birds can be seen and heard throughout the day around Gunbalanya but are noisiest and most spectacular at dusk and dawn, commonly flying in flocks across the sky.
The large billabongs and flood plains near Gunbalanya community are a paradise for bird life where thousands of birds eat, play and live. Joe has also painted the different foods the birds feed on during the year. If you look closely you can see fish, rock lizards, rats, echidna, termites, fruit, insects and plants.
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Injalak Arts is a non-profit, fully Aboriginal owned arts corporation located Gunbalanya in West Arnhem Land in remote Australia. The 300 members make beautiful arts and crafts. Their print workshop is busy with new screenprinted fabrics being created daily. They have an extraordinary 47 different fabric designs all created by the members and use lots of different base cloths (all natural fibres) and two teams of printers – men and women. Injalak Arts is registered as a charity in Australia.
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Visit the Injalak Arts Etsy shop to see an amazing range of fabrics and other high quality authentic hand-made products: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/InjalakArts
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