Following on from the sell out critical success of Namatjira at Belvoir in Sydney 2010, Big hART's Namatijra Project is already in full swing for another stellar year. As well as a nine week interstate tour kicking off in August, Big hART continues to work in Alice Springs and Ntaria (Hermannsburg) N.T., with the Namatjira family, as they continue to paint and tell more of their story.

Leading up to theatre show and full watercolour exhibitions in August, the Namatjira family watercolour artists have been engaging in On Country watercolour workshops, which sees them travel out to the scenic and rugged landscapes of their Western Arrarnta country in the Central Australian Desert. Often painting from memory, the artists relish the opportunity to paint ‘On Country’, where they can paint surrounded by the sights and sounds of their subject.

This year Big hART welcomes their new Alice Springs based Community Producer Shannon Huber, who went out with the artists last week for the first On Country watercolour workshop for 2011. They started off from Ntaria (Hermannsburg), with family of the iconic watercolour artist Albert Namatjira taking Big hART out to Finke River to paint in the tradition of their grandfather. The workshops are an opportunity for the artists to spend time in the places the great Albert would paint and, as he did, capture the stunning beauty of the MacDonnell ranges in the their unique watercolour style. With the heavy rain that has soaked Central Australia recently the Finke River was teeming with fish and the desert was bursting with green.

Ivy Pareroultja, kinship granddaughter of Albert Namatjira and a skilled watercolour artist in her own right, said "It always feels like we are coming home when we come out here." Ivy toured with the award winning play Namatjira to Sydney last year and took part on stage. Her and cousin Lenie Namatjira, a senior family member and granddaughter of Albert, both regularly paint at the Ngurratjuta Many Hands Art Centre in Alice Springs where they live. They plan to tour again with the show this year and take part in the telling of their grandfather’s story.

On Country workshops are part of Big hART's ongoing work with the Namatjira family and Ntaria (Hermannsburg) community, encouraging and supporting community members to develop their skills as artists and own the rich cultural history of their area. The workshops will be happening every four weeks throughout 2011 and are a chance for those with a connection to Albert Namatjira and his country to come, sit down, learn from each other and paint the peaceful beauty of the Western Arrarnta country.

For more details on this year’s tour of Namatjira and the project visit the website.