Tommy Watson Biography
Born Wingellina, WA. c.1935 - 2017
Tommy Watson was renowned for his incredible use of colour. While painting, Tommy would often sing favourite songs. They inspired him to produce stunningly vibrant paintings with immense visual power. Often regaled as the one of the greatest Australian artists, Tommy’s work has been likened to the works of modern artists such as Kandinsky, Matisse and Rothko. Early YearsTommy Yannima Pikarli Watson was born around 1935 in Anumarapiti, west of Irrunytju near the Northern Territory and South Australia. His mother and father died when he was very young. He was adopted by his father’s first cousin and in the 1950’s and they moved to Ernabella Mission to escape the severe droughts. He travelled extensively with his adopted father, learning how to live in the desert and how to make traditional tools and weapons. He was also taught about the history and mythology of his people. Tommy was raised in a traditional, nomadic lifestyle, discovering Western culture much later in life. Following his traditional Aboriginal initiation ceremony at the age of 12, Tommy started working in a variety of different jobs. He was a labourer, a road builder and a stockman. It was during his time working as a stockman that he met Geoffrey Bardon, a school teacher who was integral in the original exposure of the central desert art movement to outsiders. Bardon’s enthusiasm for art inspired Tommy. Tommy spent time travelling to other cental desert communities and when he arrived in Hermannsburg, he saw Indigenous Australian artist Albert Namatjira paint in his famed watercolour style. Despite all of this exposure to art, it wasn’t until 2001 in Irrunytju that Tommy took to painting seriously. Tommy Watson applied his knowledge of country and his culture and combined them with a remarkable, seemingly inherent mastery of colour to create expressive and vibrant canvases. These canvases told ancient stories of country in a profound and extraordinary way. It wasn’t long before Tommy was recognised to be a very important artists of remarkable gifts. StyleTommy’s work was always unique. He did not focus on the same imagery as his contemporaries. Instead, Tommy chose to combine opposing colours in abstract forms to tell the sacred stories of his Mother and Grandfather’s country. His paintings were bold and dramatic. Deep reds, blues and yellows would vibrate with one another on the canvas. He would add pinks and oranges and burgundies. Eye-catching and powerful colours depicting his country. These paintings were often symbolic of the Aboriginal ancient spirits’ dreamtime journeys. WorkIn the later years of his life, actively painting until his passing in 2017, Tommy was considered by some to be Australia’s greatest living artist. Tommy was honoured in 2002 as a finalist for the Telstra Aborignal and Torres Strait Islander art Awards at the NATSIAA in Darwin. By 2003 the demand for his paintings soared. In the years that followed, his name became synonymous with the global success of the Desert Art movement. He was commissioned for his artwork to be permanently installed at the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris, France. Tommy Watsons art is also featured in Adelaide, in a hotel built and designed in his honour called The Watson. He is one of only 5 Australian artists to have had the Art Series Hotel honour bestowed upon them. Tommy’s painting career was remarkable but relatively short. Tommy passed away in 2017 but his artwork stands as a shining light leading the desert art movement forward. Profile Photo Image from Tommy Watson page: Wikipedia
Select Archive Works