Shirley Shindley ‘Platypus’ Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal Painting Australia
Code: 11776
Shirley Shindley ‘Platypus’ Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal Painting Australia 1990
Shirley Shindley ‘Platypus’ Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal Painting Australia 1990
An original Australian Aboriginal painting entitled “Platypus”, painted by Kuku Yalanji artist Shirley Shindley, whose artist name/signature is Janbal.
The artwork depicts two highly stylised platypuses surrounded by rhythmic dot decoration in traditional earth colours with touches of blue. Each animal contains its own intricate arrangement of dots, lines and geometric markings.
Signed JANBAL 90 at the lower right and therefore dated 1990.
The original label verso reads:
Kuku Yalanji Dreamtime Cultural
Artist: “Janbal” – Shirley Shindley
Title: “Platypus” – (Black)
No: S.H. 272
Original price: $120.00
“Genuine product of the Kuku Yalanji people, Mossman QLD Australia”
Presented beneath glass with a broad ochre-coloured mount and complementary gilt-toned frame.
Overall framed measurements: approximately 39 cm x 48 cm
26 cm x 36 cm art work size
A particularly appealing and well-documented example of Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal art, retaining its valuable original cultural-centre provenance label.
The frame and mount show some age-related wear and discolouration. The artwork itself remains visually striking. Please examine all photographs carefully, as these form part of the description.
The artist is Shirley Swindley (1950s–2002), an acclaimed Indigenous Australian commercial artist of the Kuku Yalanji people. She painted under her traditional Aboriginal name, "Janbal".????
Artist BiographyName & Legacy: She was named after the Blue Quandong ("Janbal" in the Kuku Yalanji language), a vibrant blue rainforest fruit native to the Mossman Gorge and Daintree areas in North Queensland.Career: She picked up a paintbrush in 1995, immediately establishing herself as a respected commercial artist. Her paintings of rainforest wildlife—like these platypuses—quickly gained recognition, with some of her early pieces being purchased by luxury properties like the Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas.
Family Tradition: Before passing away in 2002, she inspired her son, Brian "Binna" Swindley. Today, Binna is a celebrated full-time artist who owns and operates the Janbal Gallery in Mossman, QLD, continuing his mother's artistic and cultural legacy.
???? Label InsightsThe Frame Label: The tag on the back serves as an authentic certificate of provenance from the "Kuku Yalanji Dreamtime Cultural" center. It titles your specific painting "Platypus" - (Black), identifies it as an authentic product of the Kuku Yalanji people, and shows the original sale price of $120.00 AUD.The Framing Stamp: The oval stamp reveals that the piece was later framed or re-framed by Alcester Glass & Picture Framing, a business located in Warwickshire, England. This shows how far her artwork traveled from North Queensland!
Aboriginal dot painting is a deep visual language used to tell sacred stories, map landscapes, and mask secret cultural knowledge from outsiders. While beautiful, the technique serves specific cultural and historic purposes:
