Scarf Goordim – Cathy Ward
132cm x 66cm
In this painting, Cathy depicts Goordim, mapping the significant places of her East Kimberley Country. The large hill at the top represents Goordim itself, while the smaller hills indicate ant pit country, an important source of bush medicine. The billabongs mark Woorrilbem, a place where the river splits in two, creating an intersection of waterways across the landscape. The Country depicted here spans Newry Station and Victoria River Downs — land Cathy came to know through years of watching, listening and painting alongside her elders.
Painted in natural pigments, the work maps Country through the stories Cathy inherited — knowledge made visible through the act of painting.