EDDIE BLITNER - Artist from Roper River, Katherine, Northern Territory

EDDIE BLITNER - Artist from Roper River, Katherine

Eddie 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. This is the Mimi Spirit Country.  Eddie's family are renowned artists and carvers. He is also an accomplished yidaki (didgeridoo) maker and is a fine traditional carver.

Eddie Blitner paints his many family lore and culture custodial stories in his paintings of Country landscape, symbolic stylised totems and important food, hunting and season and ceremony . Eddie incorporates totems, spirits and ancestors, bush-tucker, animals in traditional x-ray style, men's hunting and fishing and corroboree themes.  Eddie takes great care in applying his craft. Often taking weeks to do final touches on his layered stories within the one canvas shot. His paints are a blend of acrylic and flicks of natural ochres and sand on the background to represent Country.

Eddie Blitner commenced 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 o blend ochre, apply the paint and carve. They passed on sgories of the work they were doing. Other member of this clan (Barbil) taught him how to make flint spear heads, craft boomerangs and traditional hunting using the weapons to hunt, fish, find bush-tucker and make bush medicine to survive in the remote bush.

Eddie paints many of his family stories in his paintings of country. Eddie incorporates totems, bush-tucker, animals in traditional x-ray style, men's hunting and fishing and Corroboree themes. He is meticulous in method and fastidious in style and his traditional themed works are a blend of acrylic and natural ochres in the background to represent Country.

A feature series of Eddie's work is Mimi - these spirits appear in different language and clan cultures in different characters. Eddie paints the guardian Mimi spirits. These are good Mimi. Some Mimi are evil or mischievous and other types of spirit characters.

Now a high profile contemporary artists, Eddie frequently works with children and young men teaching them all his skills. He travels widely and is always willing to impart his traditional knowledge and artist skills . He has devoted many paid and unpaid hours helping underprivileged kids to learn what his Elders passed on to him before their early passing.

Unless otherwise stated all paintings are acrylic on canvas
All paintings are sign on the back or the front and come with a Certificate of Authenticity.