Mary Tilmouth - Green leaf and dried leaves

Catalogue Number: 25/233

This painting shows the leaves of the bush medicine plant that grows across the dry desert country of Central Australia. For most of the year the leaves are brown and dry from the hot sun. They sit on the rocky ground, waiting for rain.

When the big rains finally come, the plant wakes up. The leaves turn fresh and green.

After the rain, the women gather the green leaves and take them home. The leaves are crushed and boiled in water to make warm bush medicine. Families use this medicine to help soothe pain, calm sore skin, and ease coughs, colds and flu. This healing knowledge has been passed down through many generations and is still used today.

This painting celebrates the change from dry brown leaves to fresh green ones, showing how the desert comes alive after rain and how Aboriginal women continue to care for their families with traditional bush medicine.