Sonya Edney- Yingarrda Waterholes and Wildflowers

Yingarrda artist Sonya Edney presents her fourth solo exhibition at Japingka Gallery. The paintings focus on the waterways around the Gascoyne River in Western Australia’s mid-west region. The river flows for about one third of the year and for the other two thirds of the year it is a wide, sandy riverbed. The Gascoyne is fed by 36 tributary rivers and creeks, creating a vast catchment that energises the surrounding landscape when it flows.

Sonya Edney sees the river as the dominant contributor to the region, defining the look of its vegetation and wildlife. Sonya paints the waterholes and creeks as they bring forth the wildflowers along the banks and floodways of the river.

During the total solar eclipse that happened at Exmouth on the Western Australian coast on 20 April 2023, Sonya Edney’s artwork was part of the drone light show that told the story of Jirndarl the woman/sun and Willarda the man/moon. Sonya has created one painting for the exhibition that celebrates this event and her witness to the solar eclipse.

Sonya Edney has been a prolific painter of the Gascoyne locale, as she closely identifies with the country and its iconic landscapes. The exhibition is on display at Japingka until 5 July.