Peggy Griffiths was born to Dianah Dingle and Frank Moore on Newry Station.  Her father left the family during her early childhood years.   The station manager's wife recommended that Peggy’s mother send her daughter to school at the Kimberley Research Station. Peggy’s mother took her out of school at age 15 and moved to Argyle Station where a marriage to Alan Griffiths had been arranged once Peggy turned 16.

Peggy and her future husband moved to Kununurra, Western Australia, the location of the Waringarri Arts Center. Today Peggy and Alan have 5 children and many grandchildren all of whom have been taught traditional stories and culture.

Peggy is well informed about her family and bush life around the Goodim community and Newry. It was here that she saw old people taken away from the camp with chains around their necks and here that she learned to dance all the traditional dances.

She began working with Waringarri Aboriginal Arts in 1985, carving and painting boab nuts and boomerangs. She progressed to painting on canvas and working with limited-edition prints. She was the first indigenous artist to win the prestigious Fremantle Print Award.

Peggy is committed to keeping the stories of her   grandfather, Charlie Mailman, alive. Peggy and Alan often paint side by side and are key performers and teachers of corroboree and traditional dances for their community.  They have traveled widely, performing traditional dances at arts festivals and events.

She is among the most senior women artists at Waringarri Arts Center, and is a teacher and mentor to other local artists.  Until recently she was the Chairperson of Waringarri Aboriginal Arts, a community owned and led cooperative.

Peggy Griffiths’ works document the traditional country of her father and grandfather.  Her most recent paintings capture the movement of  wind through the Kimberley’s spinifex country.  Her paintings are collected worldwide and hang in numerous major museums and galleries.

In this image of traditional country, Peggy represents an area called Jinamoom. The Keep River flows through the center of the image joined by the smaller tributaries that run during the wet season. In the upper section is a large hill called Goodim. In the lower section, the hills represent “Ant Pit country”. Ant Pit is good bush medicine.

The two billabongs in the upper right are called Wirridlboom and Hungry, respectively. The flecks of paint in the background are typical of Peggy’s work and represent the spinifex grasses moving as the winds travel across country. This movement

is evidence to Peggy that the Spirit of traditional

country is still alive.

One of the most senior women artists painting

out of the Waringarri Arts Center in Kununurra, WA,

Peggy Griffiths is a respected leader and elder of her community. Together with her artist husband, Alan, they have garnered a worldwide following of collectors of their work.

Medium

Pigment on Paper

Limited Edition Prints

Engaved Boabs

Acrylic on Canvas

Acrylic on Linen

Themes

Traditional Country of her father and grandfather

Exihibitions

2010 Small Presents - Big Presence. 8 artists: 100 Paintings, Seva Frangos Art, Subiaco, WA

2009 Small Presents - Big Presence, Seva Frangos Art, Subiaco, WA

2009 First & Second Generation Artists from Waringarri Aboriginal Arts and Warmun Art Center, Seva Frangos Art, Subiaco, WA

2008 West Meets East: Peggy Griffiths Solo Exhibition, Seva Frangos Art, Subiaco, WA

2006 "Celebrate" Waringarri Aboriginal Arts and Seva Frangos Art Perth WA

2006 Walking Dancing Belonging - Phyllis Ningarmara, Peggy Griffiths, Minnie Lumai Seva Frangos Art @ Span Melbourne VIC

2005 Dreaming the Spinifex & Traditional Stories - Peggy and Alan Griffiths Seva Frangos Art @ Span Melbourne VIC

2005 "When Waringarri Came to Town" Woolloongabba Art Gallery Brisbane QLD

2004 Kimberley Focus - Alan And Peggy Griffiths Perth International Arts Festival Perth WA

2004 "Waringarri 3 Women" Framed Gallery Darwin NT

2003 "National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award" Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory Darwin NT

2003 "East Kimberley Art" Short St Gallery Broome WA

2002 "Warrgebarenkoo" Fremantle Arts Centre Perth WA

2002 " Love Your Work - 30 Year Exhibition" Fremantle Arts Centre Perth WA

2002 "Kimberley Ochre" Red Rock Art at Cullen Bay NT

2002 "Heyson Prize" Adelaide SA

2001 Arts d’Australie, Arts d'Australie • Stéphane Jacob / Equation-Transparence, Paris

2001 "Groundwork" Fremantle Arts Centre Perth WA

2000 Accents Australiens, Arts d'Australie • Stéphane Jacob / Espace Adamski Designs, Paris

2000 "National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award" Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory Darwin NT

1999 "National Aborigional; and Torres Strait Islander Art Award" Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory Darwin NT

1999 "East Kimberley Art Award" Kununurra WA

1997 "East Kimberley Art Award" Kununurra WA

1995 Fremantle Print Award Perth WA

Collections

Fremantle Arts Collection

Church Gallery Art Angels

Royal Perth Hospital Collection

Australian Equity - Kerry Stokes Collection

Edith Cowan University

National Gallery of Australia

Artbank Australia

Gallery of Western Australia

Kelton Foundation Santa Monica USA

Awards

1995 Fremantle Print Award