This is such a familiar motif, one that most of us associate with Matisse’s leafy cutouts. But last week, I read about the art and life or Aboriginal artist, Mitjili Napurrula for whom Acacia trees were a central theme. The recurring motif was inspired both by her father’s ceremonial spears (carved from Acacia) and the patterns her mother used to draw in the sand. Before Napurrula became an artist in her own right, she did what many female artists of the Central Desert did, and assisted her husband, Long Tom Tjapanangka produce his paintings. By the 1990s, Napurrula’s artistic career began to flourish. Today, her vivid colours and bold patterns are recognized internationally. Napurrula passed away last year.