Dulcie Sharpe: Ngayulu Tjulpu Tjuta munu Tjilkamata Tjuta Palyantjaku Mukuringanyi (I Love Making Birds and Echidnas)

“It is a good feeling doing my birds and echidnas. I like going home at the end of the day and telling everyone what I have been doing, tell them stories from my day.”

Dulcie Sharpe’s world is boldly colourful and full of joy.

Working across soft sculpture, textiles and painting, Dulcie’s playful figurations brim with densely layered colour, pattern and personality. Her works often portray her favourite animals: Tjulpu (birds) and Tjilkamata (echidnas).

Dulcie’s distinctive style translates seamlessly from fabric to painting on paper. Her delicate touch is reminiscent of the meticulous punching and stitching of her textile sculptures, with each mark methodically layered and highly considered. The intricate patterns of her Tjulpu and Tjilkamata are rendered with such detail that it is as though she were putting needle and thread to paper.

Her love of making is strengthened by being among her tight-knit community at the Art Centre at Yarrenyty Arltere Town Camp, Mparntwe, where she has been instrumental in fostering a safe and communal space for peop le to gather, create and keep culture strong through art.

Ngayulu Tjulpu Tjuta munu Tjilkamata Tjuta Palyantjaku Mukuringanyi (I Love Making Birds and Echidnas) is a declaration of joy from Dulcie herself. Her work is imbued with the happiness she finds in making—a happiness that, in turn, she shares with us.

Ngayulu Tjulpu Tjuta munu Tjilkamata Tjuta Palyantjaku Mukuringanyi (I Love Making Birds and Echidnas) is presented by BSG Projects in association with Yarrenyty Arltere Artists.