paint brush to sweep broadly across the canvas in stages, similar to the western landscape plane. These paintings were romantic images of his country, accentuating the colour and form of the landscape, including the depth of the sky in the raining season and in the summer heat. While the early body of this work was admired by an astute few it was not well received at the time. Today Kudditji's works have a national and international following. He has been represented in major exhibitions and has gained worldwide recognition for his traditional depictions of his dreamings. For international collectors of contemporary art, Kudditji quickly became an obvious addition. Collectors saw mastery in his paint handling technique and appreciated his floating fields of luminous colour. Whilst many international visitors compared him to the great American abstract impressionist, Mark Rothko, Kudditji was totally unaware of any similarities. He was just painting his country, his Dreamings, his way. Emu dreaming During his younger days Kudditji frequently took the young boys/men hunting emu in these lands, merging tradition with practice as part of their initiation as men. It is the land of this experience that Kudditji painted his "Emu Dreamings" and "My Country" works. While painting, Kudditji could be heard singing. On one level it was a way of infusing his works with stories of the land; the ancestors, hunts, travels and the food and water of Anmatyerre country. On other levels, the act of painting reminded him of home and his singing was his way of maintaining his bond with his country, far away from Alice Springs. He painted the country he longed to see again, and, at least in that moment of singing and painting, he returned to his country, if only in his heart and mind. Kudditji held the responsibility of an elder, and frequently took the young boys/men hunting emu across his ancestral lands, merging tradition with practice as part of their initiation as men. Collections Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs Hank Ebes Collection, Melbourne Macquarie University, Sydney University of New South Wales, Sydney Guilleman and Sordello Collection, France R. M. Barokh Antiques, California Mbantua Gallery Permanent Collection Alice Springs Exhibitions Solo: 2016: Singing Up Country | Kudditji Kngwarreye, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney 2016: Kudditji Kngwarreye - A master painter there is only one of him, Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery, Melbourne 2014: Kudditji Kngwarreye, Japingka Gallery, Perth 2014: Earth +