Biography

Erica Napurrurla Ross lives in Yuendumu, an Aboriginal community located 290 kms north-west of Alice Springs. She was born and raised there attending the local school. She then went to school in Alice Springs at Yirara College, an Aboriginal boarding college. Since finishing high school Erica has done a series of further education studies through Batchelor College in Alice Springs and Darwin. Her studies include Business and Language.

Erica’s first job was as a literacy worker doing translations and interpreting at Yuendumu School. After a couple of years she begun working at Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre, where she stretched canvases, gave out paint to artists and helped with general administration work. While she was working at the art centre she started doing her own paintings, depicting Dreamings passed down to her by her father and mother.

She is currently studying at the Batchelor Institute in Alice Springs where she is about to complete a Diploma in Interpreting. While studying she initially worked with the Yuendumu Old People’s Program and up until recently she has been working as a receptionist for the Central Desert Shire (Yuendumu Council).

Erica has two children and is a grandma and when she’s not working or painting she spends a lot of time helping to care for her grand-kids.