Betsy Lewis
Betsy Napangardi Lewis (c. 1940–2008) was born in the bush at Kunajarryi, west of Yuendumu. When she was quite young, she moved with her family to Mt Doreen Station. She was brought up by Paddy Japanangka Lewis and began painting with Warlukurlangu Artists in 1999.
Betsy’s main Dreaming was Mina Mina, country located far west of Yuendumu on the border of the Tanami and Gibson Deserts. Mina Mina was a very important women’s Dreaming site with a long story in which a large group of ancestral women of all ages traveled through the country, dancing, performing ceremonies, and creating the land as they went.
Betsy developed her own highly distinctive style while painting this Dreaming. She had unique control over colour and design, using thick and narrow superimposed lines of different colours.