Doris Bush Nungarrayi Luritja, b. 1942

Doris Bush Nungarayi was born circa 1942 at Haasts Bluff. Her father, who was Warlpiri, came in to the ration depot from his country west of Nyrripi and around Kintore after the birth of Doris's eldest brother Wirri Tjungurrayi. Her mother Yalkutjari Nakamarra was a Pintupi woman from the Kintore region whose father was 'boss' for the Kintore region and is buried there. Doris is a contraction of Dorothy - she is also known by her "bush name" Darinji. She had a younger sister also called Dorothy (b1952) whose "bush name" was Danisa. Doris grew up at Haasts Bluff where she met and married George Bush Tjangala, a Luritja/Anmatyerre speaking man whose family came from just west of Alice Springs.Together they had three sons, Kenny, Christopher and Simon. Doris has six granchildren; granddaughters Stephanie, Benita, Verina and Chelsea-Anne and grandsons Gavin and Joshua. George Bush was one of Papunya Tula Artists original shareholders, though he did not paint much for the company apart from a brief period in the early 1980s. In the mid 1980's the family went to live on an outstation at Nulyumanu in Doris's mother's country out towards the WA/NT border. Later the couple divided their time between Papunya and Alice Springs, where George painted for the 'government gallery' (Centre for Aboriginal Artists and Craftsmen) in Alice Springs. Doris's only surviving sibling, her brother Willy Nakanbala, lives in Papunya. After her husband's death in 1997, Doris spent increasing amounts of time in Papunya. Doris was a familiar figure in some of the Aboriginal  art galleries of Alice Springs, asking for canvas and paints, although she received no encouragement. After Papunya Tjupi Arts was established in Papunya in late 2007, Doris quickly became one of the most prolific and enthusiastic painters in the community and is usually the first to arrive each morning when - or even before - the doors open. In March/April 2012 she had her own solo exhibition at Damien Minton Gallery. in Redfern, Sydney, the first artist to do so under the auspices of Papunya Tjupi.