Cowboy Louie Pwerle (b. 1941) is an Eastern Anmatyerre Elder from Utopia in Central Australia. Born on Old McDonald Station, he has lived on his traditional Country all his life. His name 'Cowboy' is derived from his role as a stockman. He began painting in the 1980s, and is known for his precise dotting style in works that portray the Bush Turkey, Emu and Lizard Dreamings, passing on traditional stories to the younger generation. His works are represented in public and private collections in Australia and overseas.
Packing up in the evening after a day photographing artists and paintings at Utopia, Greg Weight was approached by Pwerle holding his artwork. As he noted in Australian Artists: Portraits by Greg Weight: 'At the end of a long hot day getting the camera back out of the bag can seem like a hard task, but the vision of Louie standing with the delicate painting he had just completed was more than enough reason. We shared this small experience and shook hands.'
Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Gregory Weight/Copyright Agency, 2024
Patrick Corrigan AM (130 portraits)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Greg Weight on working with Jiawei Shen, and starting out as a photographer.
Portraits of philanthropists in the collection honour their contributions to Australia and acknowledge their support of the National Portrait Gallery.
