William Sandy’s work is as magnetic as his story. Born in Southern Australia near Haasts Bluff, he and his family walked their tribal lands until government pressure forced them into settlement where he attended the mission school. During a walkabout, a traditional nomadic right of passage lasting up to six months as Aboriginal men learn to hunt, to live and to navigate their way through the wilderness, he realized his role as a protector. When he moved to Papunya in the Central Desert with his family, he worked in health at the local Council. Just as the modernist movement was taking off, Sandy joined the early masters as a founding member of the Papunya Tula Artists. This while practicing as a local traditional medicine man deeply respected for his knowledge. Among his favorite subjects is the dingo, a revered animal brought from the wild as a pup to help the indigenous keep warm, hunt and stay protected. When the dingos reach two years old, the humans return them to the wild, and once they pass, humans give sacred burials. The dingo is Sandy’s totem spirit, and it seems a very good pairing, given the protective responsibility both of them assume. William Sandy became a standout among peers and enjoyed great commercial success with solo exhibitions throughout Australia, New York, Washington, Jakarta, London, New Zealand and Japan. His paintings are in Oxford University, Mexico’s Museum of Contemporary Art and many spots in between.