Roseanne Morton Pwerle – Medicine Leaves

Bush Medicine Leaves, 2025

Acrylic on Unstretched Canvas

91cm x 62cm

Roseanne Morton Pwerle: Weaver of Desert Healing Stories

Born in 1984 amid the vast red sands of Utopia, in Australia’s remote Northern Territory, Roseanne Morton Pwerle grew up immersed in the rhythms of Alyawarre country. As a third-generation artist from one of the desert’s most revered creative dynasties, she is the daughter of acclaimed painter Gracie Morton Pwerle and granddaughter of the legendary Kathleen Petyarre—icons whose bold visions first mapped Tjukurpa onto canvas in the Utopian women’s art movement of the 1980s.

From her earliest days at Boundary Bore homestead, Roseanne learned the sacred language of paint by her mother’s side, absorbing stories of bush medicine leaves, healing ceremonies, and the resilient plants that have sustained Anangu for millennia. Her works pulse with the essence of these Dreamings: layered dots in luminous ochres, soft greens, and fiery accents evoke the sway of medicinal leaves under desert winds, their patterns whispering of renewal, protection, and the unbreakable bond between people and land.

Today, a devoted mother living in Utopia with her family, Roseanne channels this ancestral knowledge into contemporary masterpieces that honor tradition while radiating fresh energy. Her Medicine Leaves series, in particular, transforms ancient lore into vibrant talismans—reminders that healing flows not just from the earth, but through the hands that tend it. In every stroke, Roseanne invites us to feel the desert’s quiet power, bridging worlds with color and grace.