June Peters

June was born on Texas Downs Station in 1962. She has lost both her mother and father however Madigan Thomas (Senior ochre artist) and husband Sandy Thomas, a Traditional Elder, brought her up and treat her like a daughter.

She lives in Kununurra, has eight children and visits her relatives at Warmun frequently.

She was from an early age taught painting by the best of our famous first generation ochre artists, including Jack Britten (dcd), Madigan Thomas, Lena Nyadbi. These Elders devoted their lives to teaching youngsters culture, Traditional Dreamtime stories and ochre painting technique. June is the niece of our most famous ochre artist, Rover Thomas. June’s mother was one of five sisters (Rita being Rover’s wife) and every one of these women, all from Texas Downs Station, have produced highly talented artists. June’s eldest daughter Deanne is following in her mother’s footsteps and is an accomplished artist.
June has an extended family, and through her mother, father, aunties and uncles, is able to paint the huge expanse of Kitja land, including Purnululu (Bungles) and Doon Doon. This gives the artist a wonderful content for her works, and June is fastidious about the Kitja Dreaming Stories represented in her paintings. She travels extensively in her country, and paints with precision and authenticity.

June paints both in the typical Warmun style (thick, crusty ochre), as well as fine, detailed works in minimal palette. She is the only artist we know who has completed collaborative works with the highly sought after artist Tommy Carroll – June’s detailed style combined with Tommy’s balanced, minimal imaging resulted in magic paintings.
June’s work has been quickly noticed and purchased by astute collectors – she has a promising future and her paintings now hang with the best of her famous relatives, within Australia and Internationally.