Paddy Jaminji

Paddy Jaminji spent much of his life in and around his country near Bedford Downs station in Western Australia. A stockman in his youth, he was one of the first people to take up residence at Warnum, near Turkey Creek, a settlement that was established as many indigenous pastoral workers lost their jobs in the mid-1970s.

In 1977, Jaminji was chiefly responsible for creating the paintings used in the first Kurirr Kurirr (Krill Krill) ceremony, which arose out of a dream by Rover Thomas, to whom he was a classificatory uncle. Alongside Thomas, he pioneered what is now known as the East Kimberly School of painting, often featuring big blocks of single colour, outlined with round white dots, rounded hill shapes and stylised boab trees. He usually painted on board, but sometimes used canvas and made sculptures.