Description

Baby Headband – Aboriginal art – Fire Sparks 

Soft and stylish baby headbands made from the highest grade, luxuriously soft and breathable, bamboo fabric.

Each headband comes pre-knotted in a bow but can easily be redone to grow with baby – suitable for newborns up to age 4-6 months.

Information on the artist and design are provided on a swing tag and also lets customers know that the artist receives royalties for this product.

About the Artist and Artwork

‘Firesparks’ Artwork based on art by Janelle Stockman.

Janelle Stockman was a very talented and established Aboriginal artist whose paintings are in demand for their unique contemporary style.

Janelle began painting in 2001 when Mbantua Gallery approached her to see if she would like to give it a try. She had always wanted to paint but had been busy raising a family. Being surrounded by the very habitual painting life of her husbands extended family in Utopia in Central Australia, Janelle received much encouragement from other artists when she began, including baby sitting by many of the ladies.

Janelle divided her time between Utopia with her husband’s family (Mary Morton, Lucky Morton and Sarah Morton to name a few) and her traditional home land at both Hermannsburg and Papunya in Central Australia. Billy Stockman, who is famed for being one of the original members of the early Papunya Tula Aboriginal artists is Janelle’s grandfather, which drew an obvious pride in Janelle at the mention of his name.

Her works do not tell a story of her ancient dreamtime but were simply an expression of herself. Janelle had always said that she paints from within, acknowledging the freedom of her expression. She loved mixing beautiful colours, whether they were bright or pastel, or making a bold statement with black and white. She said that the colours of the bush and her environment were all of these colours.

One of Janelle’s most recognised designs was that of the desert sand hills. Inspired by their shape, Janelle depicted them as contemporary designs and was able to create both subtle and electrified representations. Other well recognised designs that followed were her Thirsty Lands series, Dancing Bird Spirits and Fire Sparks. Other styles that reflected Janelle’s aptitude for contemporary art included coloured acrylics that were poured onto the canvas directed by Janelle’s hand or left to drip down after the canvas had been hung on a clothesline; a dump-dump style where small brush dots were integrated with each other; ringlets of colourful swirls that were applied with a brush as if it were a ballerina dancing across the canvas; and concentric circles and other designs that were applied by hair dye bottles (emptied and filled with acrylics).

Janelle was keen to become one of Australia’s top artists. From the moment her new designs surfaced, her work was admired by many and featured in many exhibitions. In April 2005 Janelle had her first solo exhibition, in May 2006 she visited Sydney for the first time for an exhibition featuring her sand hill paintings and her work has been shown throughout the USA. Sadly Janelle’s life was cut short but her paintings remain a legacy.

Find more products by Janelle Stockman here.

Find more Aboriginal artwork baby products here.