Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri

Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri is a Pitjantjatjara man born in the 1920‘s at Pirupa Akla, a country located near the Olgas and to the west of Ayers Rock. By the time he was a young man, most of Whiskey’s family had passed away. Whiskey practiced as a witch doctor or traditional healer, and people would come from afar to be treated by him.

While living at the Haasts Bluff mission, Whiskey took a job as cook for the contract fencers and mustering crew. He came to be called Whiskers, owing to his long white beard, and the name eventually evolved into Whiskey. He began painting in 2004. The main images in his works are the rock holes near Pirupa, Ayers Rock, and the story of his own journeys to Areyonga and Haasts Bluff.

Whiskey is a very traditional man with an extremely jovial personality. The bright colours in his work are said to refl ect the character of the man – bold, colourful, and strong in spirit.