Margaret’s visit to the Northern Territory in 1993 provided a rich resource of material for her painting. The lily ponds and other vegetation to be found in the Nathan River inspired the work, Òu la Vie a Germée, a dark, mysterious work.

The use of the inky black paint allows the plant life to glisten; they are almost iridescent. With the river on the cusp of the Gulf of Carpentaria it responds to the tidal movements of the Arafura Sea, its location as part of the Limmen National Park making it an extraordinary part of the world.

References

Daena Murray, Hotsprings: the Northern Territory and Contemporary Australian Artists, Melbourne, Macmillan, 2012, Figure: 172.