News — Eddie Blitner

Eddie Blitner is from Naiyalrindji country on the mighty Roper River, south east of Katherine in the Northern Territory (down the Roper Highway at Yugal Mangi Nkugurr Community). Eddie started painting at an early age where he watched and learned from his renowned clan leader grandfathers Fred, Gerry and Donald Blitner and other Elders who taught him to blend ochre, apply paint and to carve. They passed on stories of the work they were doing. Other members of this clan (Barbil) taught him how to make flint spear heads, craft boomerangs and traditional hunting using the weapons to hunt, fish, find...

Cross-hatching, is a style that has been used in art making for many years by many civilisations. Its most common application in art making is in drawing where the artist wishes to 'fill' or shade a part of the artwork. Hatching is generally made by close parallel lines executed in drawing materials such as ink, pencil, charcoal, crayon, paint and the like, whereas cross-hatching is what it sounds like; another hatching pattern crossing the first one. In Australian Aboriginal Art, the fine technique of cross-hatching (or 'Rarrk') has taken on a more structured and stylised appearance, and can have significant meaning...