Born: 1956Language group: AnmatyerreCountry: Denipa Station Eileen Bird Kngwarreye is an Eastern Arrernte artist and her country is Arnumarra, near Gem Tree, north east of Alice Springs in Central Australia. Eileen grew up on her country at Harts Range but later moved to southern Utopia to marry her husband, the late artist Paddy Bird. Paddy's mother was a renowned artist named Ada Bird Petyarre, who was one of the core group of artists foundational to the development of the Indigenous art movement in Utopia, and one of the seven internationally renowned Petyarre sisters. Eileen has been painting professionally since the mid 1990’s. Her artworks primarily depict the pencil yam story or women's ceremony. Her ‘Pencil Yam’ works celebrate this tuberous root that is a staple food for desert dwellers, as well as highly regarded for its medicinal propertoes. Eileen’s works typically depict the seed of the yam (dot work) and its flower (brush work), paying homage to the spirit of this special plant in the hope that it will regenerate. Selected collections include the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Umpqua Bank (Portland, Oregon), New City Merchants (Knoxville Tennessee), Holmes a Court Collection (Australia), Art Bank Sydney (Australia), Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Australia), Kelton Foundation (Santa Monica, USA).