Sandy Willie is an Aṉangu tjilpi, a senior Aboriginal man from the Central and Western Desert region of Australia. Born in the bush, Sandy grew up travelling across Country and later worked as a stockman. Through these travels, he learnt to paint from some of the founding artists of the Central Desert art movement at Papunya.
Sandy began painting seriously in 2007 and has since developed a powerful practice grounded in deep cultural knowledge and lived experience. Before painting with Tjarlirli Art, Sandy was a painter at Maruku Arts, where his work was recognised for its connection to Tjukurpa, ancestral Country and senior men’s law.
Now living and painting at the Kaltukatjara art centre, Sandy continues to share works that carry the authority of a senior cultural man.