Anne Dixon

Anne was born in Alice Springs in July 1965. Her father’s country is Pipalyatjara, a community of Fregon South Australia, where her family lives today. Her mother, Wipana Jimmy is from Nyapari, South Australia and her Tjukurrpa is the Makiri (honey ant) of that region.

After Anne was born, her mother and her travelled on the train to Pukatja (Ernabella), South Australia where she went to school, later living in Fregon. After meeting her Husband Simon Dixon in 1984, they moved to Watarru, South Australia together. There they raised their three children, Elain, Darren and Noreen along side Anne’s sisters and their children. After that they lived at Nypapari before finally moving to Haasts Bluff in 1999. It was in Haasts Bluff that Anne first started painting with her mother in law, Alice Nampitjinpa Dixon in the Ikuntji Women’s and Art Centre. Anne has been painting along side Alice and the other artists at the art centre ever since. When Ann was at the art centre she would sit and learns skills from her mother-in-law and the other senior women. Anne painted the Tjukurrpa from her own country at Watarru, far south of Haasts Bluff. This dreaming and country was passed down to her from her grandmother on her mother’s side. Anne’s mother and sister’s paintings are all of that same dreaming. Anne’s paintings usually depict fire dreaming and relate to dancing and singing ceremonies. Anne would spent her time painting whenever she could, often experimenting with bold colour combinations and expressive and textured paint application.

Anne also worked as a weaver and has participated in Watarru collaborative artworks, some of which are at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She used tjanpi (dried native grass) when she worked with Tjanpi Desert Weavers and Ikuntji Artists. Anne was inspired to learn the Tjanpi coiled basketry technique after watching her mother, Wipana Jimmy, and Aunty Tinpulya Mervin, practice this art form. Anne’s strong sculptural sensibility can be seen in her unique baskets and animal sculptures. Similarly to her painting style, Anne always enjoyed working on large scale pieces, experimenting with new styles and techniques.

Anne passed away in 2019.