Queenie McKenzie (c. 1930–1998) was a prominent Gija artist in the East Kimberley painting movement. Born at Texas Downs Station on the Ord River to a Malngin/Gurindji mother and a white father, McKenzie worked as a cook on cattle stations for almost 40 years until 1973 when she settled in Warmun (Turkey Creek). A strong member of the Warmun community, she taught the Gija language and culture at the local school, played a significant role in the reclaiming of traditional land in the region, and was heavily committed to ceremonial life. She began painting in the late 1980s, encouraged by her friend, artist Rover Thomas. Her paintings mapped Country, blending landscape with her Dreamings, historical events and episodes from her life. She liked to mix natural earth pigments to make new colours, including soft pinks and purples, a hallmark of her works. After producing her first prints in 1995 in collaboration with printmaker Theo Tremblay, she also became an active printmaker. Her work has been widely collected and exhibited, including in the Rover & Queenie exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2000.
