Jack Wherra : Carved Boab Nuts
Jack
The aim of this article is to assist readers in identifying if their carved
If you have a Jack Wherra
The Kimberleys of Western Australia is better known for Wandjina Painting shields
Jack Wherra Style
The most collectible Jack Wherra
His detailed three-dimensional images framed story friezes.
The nut often divides the nut both horizontally and vertically. He developed this style in to tell stories in a similar fashion to the phantom comics he was a great fan of.
Some of his
Many of jacks works have his name near the rim.
Jack also carved
Jack
He also carved and painted Shields Boomerangs and Didgeridoo
Carved Boab Nuts
Carved Boab nuts may have gifts and exchange items before European settlement in the North Kimberley.
Basedow in 1916 described and photographed engraved boab nuts from the west Kimberley. The Museum of Victoria collection contains a carved nut apparently from the 1870s
Boab Nuts are collected in April and May when the shell is beginning to dry and harden. After that they begin to crack and useless for carving.
The nut is first rubbed in the sand to remove the outer layer. This removes the fur, revealing the brownish harder shell. Using a sharp object the softer brown furry skin of the nut removed. The technique is like a linocut, revealing layers of the creamy hard shell beneath.
The majority of carved boab nuts are not worth very much. The degree of workmanship and image though vary widely.
Biography
Jack Wherra was born in about 1920 in the Kimberley bush. As a young man he moved to mission life at Kunmunya, on the Kimberley coast north of Derby.
Jack Wherra spent over 18 years in gaol over different periods, mostly in Broome. His Gaol time was for murders or tribal killings, allegedly committed in 1940 and 1945. He received a pardon in 1963 and lived in Mowanjum reserve outside Derby. At Mowanjum he made his living carving boab nuts.
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Artworks and Articles
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Jack Wherra images
The following images are not the complete known work by this artist but give a good idea of his style and range.
