Joy Pitjara

Born in 1965, Joy is from Alhalkere Country, in the Utopia region of Central Australia. Joy was part of the original group of Utopian women to work with Batik, and her work is represented in the ‘Utopia – A Picture Story’ Robert Holmes a Court Collection. In 1999, Joy began to move from Batik to painting on canvas. She is well known for her stories associated with the Pencil Yam, and women’s ceremonial Dreaming stories.

The pencil yam is one of the most common kinds of bush food in the Utopia region. It is a slender and twining plant with yellow pea flowers, which can be seen throughout the year.
There are two specific species of the pencil yam, which belong to different areas within the Utopia region.