Rusty Peters was born about 1953 on Springvale Station in the Kimberleys.  So named by the station owners of the day – The Peters; he was give his bush name, Rusty Peters. Various station owners took a liking to Rusty’s work and exchanged tucker or food like carrots, potatoes, tea and sugar for his paintings. There wasn’t much enquiry about the stories only they commented on the resemblance to the land and asked what colours were used. The natural ochre colours impressed many people.

Rusty enjoyed depicting his stories or country paintings. Typically works featured hills, creeks and bungles, and important land formations found on his land. Textured ochres captivated the rugged landscape.

 One reoccurring storyline in Rusty’s paintings relate to stories told to him by his Grandfather whose country lies near Warloo, Western Australia.

Rusty Peters has travelled and exhibited extensively throughout Australia, including most capital cities. The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acquired one of Rusty’s paintings.

The surface narrative elements or the painting’s “story” or “Dreaming” are one of the many layers of an Aboriginal painting’s meaning. The imagery utilised by Aboriginal artists has deep cultural resonances that defy logic and narrative interpretation.  The Western viewer can however intuitively feel the power of this spiritual resonance without necessarily having to understand the details which are known by the initiated.