Eddie Blitner paints using natural ochre on canvas as well as bark paintings, bark coffins wood carvings which he paints himself using rrarrk (cross-hatching) and sells his art through galleries across NT.
Eddie is from Naiyarindji and Yugul Mangl (formerly known as Ngukurr Community), where he has lived for many years. He studied at Concordia College in Adelaide and has worked as a farmhand and stockman. The people of his community taught him many traditional practices including art.
In his own words, "My grandfathers, Fred, Gerry and Donald would be painting or carving and we kids would sit around them and watch them grind the ochres and mix the colours, after a while he would tell us the story for that particular painting and also teach us the songs and dance for that story. When he was in a very good mood, he let us paint the sides of the bark painting, that was my start”.
