Johnnie Scobie Tjapanangka

Johnnie Scobie Tjapanangka was a Pintupi artist from Kintore in the Western Desert, Northern Territory. Born in the 1940s, Johnnie grew up living a traditional desert lifestyle before moving into community life during the settlement years. His art reflects a deep cultural grounding, drawing on the ancestral stories and law of his Country.

Johnnie began painting in the late 1980s, working within the Papunya Tula Artists collective. His paintings are strongly tied to men’s ceremonial Dreamings, including Tingari cycles and sacred sites in the regions west of Kintore. Using precise dotting and bold, rhythmic designs, his works map the journeys of ancestral beings across the desert landscape, creating a visual record of Pintupi law and connection to Country.

As both an artist and cultural custodian, Johnnie’s practice held significance beyond aesthetics — a way of safeguarding and passing on knowledge to future generations. His works have been exhibited in Australia and internationally, and are represented in a number of important collections.

Johnnie Scobie Tjapanangka is remembered as a valued contributor to the Western Desert art movement. His paintings stand as an enduring testament to Pintupi culture, carrying the authority of ancestral law and the strength of his people’s stories.