‘Been born Jigalong. Big sister for my son, Dennis Thomas. She been come this way, Hedland. Doreen, [and] me, [are] from Karntimarta, Warralong. I been bring him [her] here. Little girl she start painting, in Warralong. She looking… looking… She quick painter, quickly, looking, looking. No fishing, no hunting, no car, painting, painting every day eh? You been bring ’em, she painting, painting, painting!’
— Maywokka May Chapman, mother
Born in Jigalong in 1971, Doreen Chapman has lived across Western Desert communities throughout the Pilbara region of Western Australia. A Manyjilyjarra artist, she has spent most of her adult life in Warralong, a community located 120 km south-east of Port Hedland.
Doreen began painting alongside her mother, respected artist Maywokka May Chapman, and first exhibited with Martumili Artists in 2010. In more recent years she has spent increasing time in Port Hedland, developing her practice at Spinifex Hill Studio.
As a deaf woman, painting is central to how Doreen communicates, observes, and shares stories connected to her life and Country. Her works are known for their directness, strong linework, and distinctive visual rhythm.
