ABOUT THE ARTIST

Her images connect story, place and childhood memory. Agnes explores her childhood
memories growing up at lvanhoe Station outside Kununurra in the late 50s. She recalls hunting
and gathering bush tucker with her grandparents and watching the cattle truck pass by.
Agnes Armstrong’s paintings embrace the stories of her childhood years in delightful often naive interpretations. She shares her memories of growing up on stations, bushlife and stories taught
by her grandparents. Her images connect story, place and childhood memory. “Born beside a
billabong on Ivanhoe Station I grew up with old people. They taught me lots about hunting- all
the bush foods. I used to work at the Ivanhoe station doing housework and gardening. I came to Kununurra and started schooling during the 60s. Before that I had been at the Research Station
School. During the 70s I was at the Beagle Bay Mission School. I came back to Kununurra then
and got a job cooking for the pensioners in our Mirima Commun. I would do the shopping,
counting the money for the pensioners and paid their bills. We had a little shop then. I then
moved to Dingo Springs where I watched the old people carving boab nuts and I started doing
boabs. After that I came back here to Waringarri Arts to do painting. As well lam doing Ministry
and bible studies. I have one daughter and three adopted sons ad I live in Mirima, stopping in my
country for good.”