Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri

Overview
A black and white photo of Aboriginal-Australian artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, represented by Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery.
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was born at Napperby Station, North West of Alice Springs to Tjatjiti Tjungurrayai and Long Rose Nangala. He lived a very traditional bush upbringing in his youth in the Jay Creek area and later became a stockman. He is from a family of artists, both his stepfather and brother having artwork displayed on Australian postage stamps. Another older brother, Cassidy, was also a painter and a respected elder in his community.
 
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri began his art career with wood carving and would carve snakes and goannas. When acrylic painting came to the Papunya area in the early 1970's, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri emerged as one of the first artists to be involved in the Western Desert Art Movement.
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri passed away in June 2002 not long after being officially recognised for all his work and contribution to the Aboriginal Art and Culture in Australia. He was to be sworn in as an officer of the Order of Australia.
Works
  • Snake Dreaming Ceremony – Mt. Wedge by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a richly patterned landscape in dark brown, green, blue and ochre tones, with a winding snake-like form, concentric circles, pale star-like shapes and clusters of white and blue organic forms across the composition.
    Snake Dreaming Ceremony - Mt. Wedge, n.d.
  • Rainbow Snake Dreaming at Mt. Dennison by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a winding rainbow serpent on the left, surrounded by layered fields of red, ochre, pink, blue, grey and cream dotted patterns, with concentric circles, symbolic forms and geometric elements across the composition.
    Rainbow Snake Dreaming at Mt. Dennison, n.d.
  • Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Worm Dreaming, 1997
    Worm Dreaming, 1997
  • Woman’s Dreaming (1988) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a densely dotted landscape in earthy brown, ochre, pink, grey and cream tones, with winding snakes, star like floral elements, curved motifs and a central concentric circle.
    Woman's Dreaming, 1988
  • Fire Dreaming (1988) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a central fiery red and orange form surrounded by concentric layers of white, black, blue, pink and ochre dots, with pale pink symbolic forms distributed across the warm-toned composition.
    Fire Dreaming, 1988
  • Snake Dreaming by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a richly dotted landscape in blue, pink, ochre, yellow and brown, with two large circular forms containing white oval motifs, a central concentric circle and winding snake like forms throughout the composition.
    Snake Dreaming
  • Possum Dreaming by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring two black possum figures against a densely dotted landscape of ochre, pink, brown, cream and blue, with a central concentric circle and winding landscape forms throughout the composition.
    Possum Dreaming
  • Water Dreaming at Mt. Dennison by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork arranged in a circular composition, featuring a central concentric circle surrounded by radiating sections of blue, green, brown and mauve dotted patterns, with pale blue branching lines and yellow star-like forms throughout.
    Water Dreaming at Mt. Dennison
  • Portrait of Rebecca by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, depicting Rebecca Hossack in vivid red and pink against a dark background, with a second, faintly outlined figure visible next to her.
    Portrait of Rebecca
  • Worm – Napperby Station (1990) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork symbolising a worm through interwoven, undulating forms composed of concentric bands in pink, red, yellow, orange, blue, grey and white.
    Worm - Napperby Station, 1990
  • Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri aboriginal artist synthetic polymer paint on canvas of Kangaroo Dreaming 1986
    Kangaroo Dreaming, 1986
  • Lightning and Flood – Mount Wedge (1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring undulating bands of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, black and grey forming a flowing geometric landscape, crossed by two vertical white lines and smaller horizontal white marks.
    Lightening and Flood - Mount Wedge, 1995
  • Spear Dreaming – South of Napperby (c. 1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork composed of horizontal, undulating bands in shades of pink, red, orange, cream, blue, grey and black, creating a layered and rhythmic abstract landscape across the canvas.
    Spear Dreaming - South of Naperby, c.1995
  • Possum & Rock Wallaby Dreaming – Napperby (c. 1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a densely dotted landscape of pink, blue, brown and ochre, crossed by flowing white and yellow lines, with repeated pink concentric circles, curved motifs and small yellow symbolic forms throughout the composition.
    Possum & Rock Wallaby Dreaming - Napperby, c.1995
  • Lightning Dreaming – Mount Allen (c. 1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a brightly coloured dotted landscape of blue, yellow, red, pink and ochre, with white birds surrounding a large pale yellow star like forms and a winding pink line at the centre.
    Lightning Dreaming - Mount Allen , c.1995
  • Untitled Aboriginal artwork by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri featuring two large orange goannas surrounded by intricate fields of red, blue, white, yellow and brown dots, with smaller animal and symbolic forms arranged around a central concentric circle motif.
    Untitled, n.d.
  • Old Man’s Dreaming (1996) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring bold fields of yellow, pink and grey dots against a dark background, with red and pink winding forms, white star-like elements and a prominent central concentric circle motif.
    Old Man's Dreaming, 1996
  • Rock Wallaby & Lightning Dreaming – Mount Wedge (c. 1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork composed of horizontal bands of pink, red, yellow, brown and blue dotted patterns, with repeated pink concentric circles, stylised rock wallaby and lightning motifs, and white vertical forms arranged across the composition.
    Rock Wallaby & Lightning Dreaming - Mount Wedge, c.1995
  • Serpent Dreaming (c. 1985) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a richly patterned landscape in earthy brown, ochre, cream and black tones, with a winding serpent-like form, pale star-like elements, concentric circles and clusters of oval shapes distributed across the composition.
    Serpent Dreaming, c.1985
  • Emu Dreaming (1996) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring horizontal bands of red, pink, yellow, orange and blue dotted patterns, with a large pale central form surrounded by white figures and several prominent yellow star forms.
    Emu Dreaming, 1996
  • Eagle (1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a large white eagle motif at the centre, surrounded by radiating dark grey forms and white feather-like details against a densely dotted background of pink, yellow, red, cream and grey.
    Eagle, 1995
  • Napperby Lake and Bushtucker (1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring sweeping bands of red, orange, brown, black, white and pink that form an undulating landscape, intersected by dotted organic forms and three prominent white star-like elements surrounding a central concentric circle.
    Napperby Lake and Bushtucker, 1995
  • Two Jangalas – Warlukulangu (1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring two skeletal figures at the base of a densely dotted landscape, with winding white pathways, circular motifs, a central red star-like form and layered fields of pink, yellow, green, red and grey.
    Two Jangalas - Warlukulangu, 1995
  • Milky Way Dreaming (1995) by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal artwork featuring a textured field of blue, grey, brown and pink tones, with clusters of yellow and ochre dotted forms, small concentric circles and flowing lines distributed across the composition.
    Milky Way Dreaming, 1995
Exhibitions
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