Area:              Tennant Creek/ Alice Springs

Language:     Alaywarra

Sharon Numina was born on Stirling Station a cattle property near Tennant Creek and grew up in that area.

She is a member of a family of gifted artists, her aunts Gloria and Kathleen Petyerre are noted artists and she along with her sisters was taught to paint by them.

Sharon now lives in Darwin and along with her sisters Cindy, Caroline, Lanita, Jacinta, and Louise who also paint are becoming known for their bright and innovative works

Sharon continues to be mentored by her Aunts and visits them often to continue to improve and develop her artistic technique.

Sharon paints Bush Berries, Women’s Ceremony, Honey Ant Dreaming, Bush Plum and Desert Figs.

The Australian term the Bush refers to the countryside and areas outside the main metropolitan cities. The word Bush is used to describe activities related to rural living and activities such as going Bush, Bush clothing, Bushfire, Bushranger, Bush Poetry etc

Bush Medicine Leaves: the leaves of plants are collected and used for medicinal purposes they can be placed over a fire and the smoke inhaled, infused in hot water and drank, and made into a paste with fruit pulp or animal fat and rubbed on the body. Caroline’s bright bush medicine leaf paintings depict the different combinations of leaves used.

Bush Figs: grow on a small busy tree and the fruit can be eaten or ground up to a paste and left to dry. The leaves of the tree are very rough and can be used as a kind of sand paper and sap from the tree is used on skin sores.

Bush Berries: are picked after the rains and eaten raw

Honey Ants: Store honey dew in their swollen abdomen the women use their digging sticks to dig up their nests and bite into the ants to suck the sweet honey nectar

Women’s Ceremony, Awelye, Body Art: women’s business and body painting shows respect for country recalls ancestors and responsibility for well being of the community. The ceremonies are not done in the presence of men. The women paint their ceremony stories on their bodies using ochre, ash and charcoal. Sharon uses traditional colors in her body painting series