Lily’s paintings are primarily inspired by her country of Watiyawanu – its sand hills, wind and desert after rain. Lyrical and muted in colour and tone, her paintings often feature sand hills – especially those of the Kintore and Connistan areas – and conjure a mysterious topographical image of the landscape. Using the technique of painting in small dots, Lily creates movement and dynamism in her works and thus they take on multi-dimensional appearance.

The artist’s stories are about Women’s Dreaming associated with Kunayarri with subjects are depicted in a detailed yet contemporary style. Lily’s paintings often note the seasonal changes in this sandy landscape and the crucial waterholes found in the rocks in the area. In this mysterious and elemental landscape, the features such as rock holes and even mountain ranges, seem to appear and disappear with the changing winds and blowing sands. Water marks this land, as the run-off from the rains makes a pattern of lines and striations down the surface of the sand hills. Lily notes the finest microcosmic details but embeds these into a macrocosmic view of the landscape. The ephemeral nature of this drifting, changing country is Lily’s key focus and the viewer, walking in front of her painting, can sense something of the immersive experience of her country.