Joanne Napangardi Wheeler was born in 1969 in Ntaria (Hermannsburg) and is the great granddaughter of renowned watercolourist Albert Namitjira. She has had a long and celebrated artistic career and joined Tangentyere Artists in 2013. Wheeler holds strong connections to Tjoritja (West MacDonnell Ranges), her mother’s Country and to Kaltukatjara, her father’s Country. She also retains strong links to Anmayyerr and Luritja Country, frequently travelling for cultural and familial obligations.
Wheeler often paints stories of the olden days at Ntaria and Palm Valley, NT; figurative landscapes bursting with vibrant colours, fields of dots, rolling ranges, playful animals and animated figures. She cleverly uses shifts in colour alongside the dynamic poses and exaggerated features of the figures to convey a sense of movement within her works. She brings the viewer into her paintings and provides a stylised glimpse of life and landscape before the Mission. Previously, Wheeler also painted non-figurative works however in recent years has focussed solely on developing her current unique style which has been met with much success.
Wheeler’s work is held by the Macquarie Group Collection, The Anglican Church Grammar School and in private collections.
