Karen Napaljarri Barnes was born in Lajamanu, a remote Aboriginal community in semi-arid country on the edge of the Tanami Desert 1000km north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. She moved to Yuendumu, 700km south, after finishing school in Lajamanu, to be with her family. She has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal-owned and governed Art Centre, since 2001. She is the granddaughter of Warlukurlangu's famous artist Judy Napangardi Watson and they would sit together painting at the Art Centre every day when Karen first started painting.

"When I was a young girl, I didn’t know how to paint. I would sit outside with my granny watching her work. She painted Mina Mina. That one place. She used yellow, green and pink. She was an artist and her paintings went to all different places, overseas, Sydney, Alice Springs, everywhere. She would sing the song for Mina Mina and clap her hands loudly. Like this – “Mina, Mina, Mina, Mina Mina, Mina Mina.  Mina Mina is to the west”. My granny was the boss of that place. People would fly her in a helicopter to visit. She would talk about the country and burn it with fire.

I would travel with my granny. She took me hunting. She was always digging for goanna and getting bush tucker foo. When she had sticky hands for goanna tail or honey ants, she would lick her fingers. When we drove around in her car, we saw kangaroos, camels and sometimes donkeys too. My granny loved dogs. Her favourite one would sit behind her, close to her back. I loved sitting close to my granny too. My family would humbug her for money. Me, I loved to keep her company and sit quietly. I started to paint when she was a famous artist. I was too nervous. I didn’t know what to do. She said to me “Karen you have to paint. Paint Mina Mina, Women’s Dreaming. Water dreaming.  You can paint like me. Start with circles, lines and then do the different tracks of the animals. Snake, emu, goanna, budgerigar.”

For a long time, I painted like that. Circles, lines and all the tracks on the canvas for the animals. Lots of animals and then the most was for budgerigar tracks. Criss- crosses, crosses all over. I love colour like my granny. Now I use a brush to paint my birds. My favourite is the green budgerigar.  I also love painting other birds - cockatoo, emu, bush turkey. Sometimes I paint animals from the community, like cheeky dogs that come to the art centre. Other times, Jo helps me find pictures on the computer, and I make my own ones. I am happy to be an artist. The birds are my company. They make me happy. When I walk around the community or see my painting here in the art centre, all the birds talk to me. They call out to me.  They say “Hello, hello. Hello Karen Barnes!” and then later when I walk home, they say “Bye-bye!”

Sometimes the birds are sad, I don’t know why they are sad. Maybe they are missing someone. I am not sad. I don’t feel lonely because I have lots of friends. All my friends are here at the art centre and the animals also keep me company. I am very proud. Now I am a famous artist like my granny. Before she was famous. Now I am the famous one and all the birds say to me “Hello Karen Barnes!”