Jock Mosquito Jaru, b. 1944
39 3/8 x 55 1/8 in
Born in 1944 Jock Mosquito was a senior Jaru elder of the East Kimberley. He spoke 17 local languages. He was born on Nicholson Station bordering on desert country in the Northern Territory. He spent his working life based at Nicholson and, like other stockmen of his day, mustered on surrounding stations. With no formal education, he has avidly participated in important cultural and business matters in his country. He was Chairperson of the influential Wunun Regional Council and was a leading figure in Aboriginal Affairs in the Kimberley. He was one of the earliest Kimberley artists to work in ochre when he started painting c.1984, in works notable for strongly clearly defined depictions of land forms and men’s travelling stories.
He worked with famed artist , the late Rover Thomas, as a stockman and assisted in painting the Kuril Kuril (dancing) boards for Rover’s corroboree, alongside the senior ochre artists Jack Britten, Hector Jandany, George Mung Mung and Churchill Cann. These men were regarded as the cultural leaders and custodians of Gija country and surrounding regions.
This painting depicts the hills of Purnululu (the Bungle Bungles) a major land form in the East Kimberley south of Kununurra and features the sacred men's objects unique to the artist. .