Lynette Lewis

Ernabella Arts

Ceramic decorator

Etching stories of tjala honey ants

Lynette uses a sgraffito technique to create detailed designs on ceramics
She works with her mother, daughter and other family members in an Indigenous art centre
Her mark-making practice is deeply connected to her culture

Lynette Lewis decorates ceramics by hand using a sgraffito technique that reveals intricate traditional designs. She practises her craft in the Indigenous art centre Ernabella Arts, in the community of Ernabella-Pukatja in the APY Lands of northern South Australia. She lives in a very remote Aboriginal community where stories of the land and her elders shape her clay objects. Lynette uses the sgraffito technique, which involves scratching into the underglaze of ceramic pieces with a wooden tool, drawing motifs that emerge during or after firing. This method echoes milpatjunanyi, the custom of drawing in the sand to tell stories. "This storytelling tradition is still alive today and it influences everything I do," Lynette says.

Interview

Are you involved in making the pieces you decorate?: Yes. sometimes I use the clay to handmake my own special artworks, such as decorated dishes called piti, as well as baskets.
How did you learn your craft?: Carole Williams, an artist at the Ernabella art centre who passed away, taught me all about ceramics. She supported and encouraged me. My mother and other family members are also part of the art centre, which is what encouraged me to join and work with them.
Do you work collaboratively with anyone?: I am currently sharing my knowledge with a younger audience. My daughter Jayanna Andy, an Ernabella artist, works on ceramic pieces with me. We sometimes prepare for exhibitions together.
What role does territory play in your practice?: My father comes from Makiri Country. When I was young, he would take us there as a family. We used to see tjala tjuta, or honey ants. These ants are black in colour and special to that area. This is why I am sharing this story – it belongs to my Country.

Lynette Lewis is a master artisan: she began her career in 2015 and she started teaching in 2018