Elton is the son of Doris Abbott, a Western
Aranda woman from Ntaria (Hermannsburg) and Kevin Wirri Tjapaltjarri who is
Pintubi/Luritja. Elton grew up in Kaltukatjara or Docker River situated some
200km West of Uluru next to the Western Australia border. Stretching West of
Docker River are the Peterman’s Ranges that Elton explored extensively with his
father who mentored him with watercolour technics.
Elton watched his parents paint and
showed a keen interest to paint watercolours like his father. Right from the
start he showed a lot of skill, and with some instruction from his father is
now an artist in his own right. He has a great eye for detail and colour. As
well as pursuing his interest in watercolours, Elton is also developing his
skills in acrylic painting and has produced a number of works in this medium,
including portraits combined with landscape. His interests have extended to
theatre and he performed in a sell-out production of the show ‘Ngapartji
Ngapartji’ at the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October 2005.
Another performance Elton participated in is the award winning ‘Namatjira’ play
that toured the country between 2010 and 2012. Elton now lives in Alice Springs.
The delicate grey gums and ochre mountain ranges evoke the European-style
watercolours of his tribal grandfather, Albert Namatjira.
The West MacDonnell Ranges is one of the oldest rock formations
in the world. Its decaying ridgelines stretch from Alice Springs, pointing to a
land where the spirits are still masters of all. It is a mythical place and the
home for eternity to the Arrernte people. For the rest of us, it is the
landscape of the Red Centre. The geography is beautiful and rugged—sheer cliff
faces give way to sandy, dry riverbeds. The climate has all the extremes one
finds in a desert; searing heat and freezing nights, yet, life abounds
everywhere. Survival in this land is about knowledge—naivety in this place rarely
ends well.
