Dreamtime

Lizards Nest - Shadow art
Jeff Roberts
Image: didgeswedoo.com.au

I cataloged a book of Australian Aboriginal painting today and was fascinated by the design of the paintings. Not knowing too much about the work, I delved into finding out.

"Jeff Roberts is from Gnowangerup, South of Albany, Noongar man of the Wiloman people of the South West of Western Australia.
Jeff started painting in 1986, his style is traditional, but unique and inspired by the Dreamtime stories of his people. Jeff came to live in Perth, five years ago."

Many Australian Aboriginal artists create paintings inspired by the Dreamtime stories. "The Dreamtime for Aboriginal people is the time which the earth received its present form and in which the patterns and cycles of life begun." Stories were created by Australian Aborigines to teach about Dreamtime, life, death, love, creation and more. The Dreamtime is represented in this painting through the traditional dot painting. The dots are used to create patterns and symbols which are directly recognizable to those familiar with the Dreamtime story.