Topic:Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
Sitting at a table in a tiny art gallery nestled inside Kakadu National Park, Blaldja artist Ivan Namarnyilk slowly paints precise, thin strokes with his manyilk, a traditional brush made of sedge grass.
But before Namarnyilk even has the chance to finish his pieces, tourists visiting the Marrawuddi Arts and Culture Centre in Jabiru are asking to buy them.
"You gotta be patient, no rushing. We gotta be steady."
Taught by his father, fellow prominent artist Spider Namirrki, at Mudginberri Station, Namarnyilk has been painting "rock art" on paper since he was a teenager.
More than three decades on, Namarnyilk is keeping his culture alive by passing it on to the next generation.
"It's really special for me and for my future kids.
Known for his detailed, x-ray style works, Namarnyilk mainly uses ochre to paint or scratch-draw local animals and cultural totems before applying his signature, mouth-blown clay handprint.
"We use natural colour like red ochre, white clay, yellow ochre," he says.
"I like painting spirit man, kangaroo, echidna, turtle, fish like barramundi or black bream.
"We respect our totems — my father's totem is irritja [wedge-tailed eagle] and my mother's is duwa [mud crab]."
In August, Namarnyilk sold thousands of dollars worth of his art at his first solo exhibition during the…
