Bush’s painting depicts yoyi (dance) which is integral to every Tiwi ceremony. The central figures are painted in ochre with jilamara (designs) for pukumai (mourning) and kulama (coming of age) ceremonies. This detailed view shows an intricate design of cross-hatched and dotted lines recreated by Bush using the same Tiwi ochres that were sourced from the land, ground by hand and blended into a paint for tens of thousands of years by his ancestors. Arrikirninga (yellow ochre) is collected from the centre of Melville Island, and when heated on the fire, turns into yaringa (red ochre). Kirijipuni (white ochre), also known as kaolin or pipe clay, is sourced from the cliff faces along the northern coastline near Milikapiti.

With this close view, we can observe the various layers of Bush’s work. There is an underlying pattern of straight horizontal and vertical lines formed with thinned paint, over which thicker ochre has been selectively applied, primarily to the figures. The overlapping colours and raised edges of the brushwork indicate a free-flowing and gradual approach to building up the work. A series of vertical drips of thinned black and yellow paint were applied last and span the full height of the canvas. To closely examine surface characteristics of a work such as this, conservators use lighting positioned at oblique angles (raking light) as well as a microscope. These tools not only help to reveal an artist’s working method, but also highlight areas that require care from conservators, such as loosely adhered, flaking or friable (powdery) painted areas.

Black is traditionally derived from charcoal made from the burning trees on the campfire. Along the top of the work is a series of circles in black paint, which Bush has applied in a fluid consistency to form the vertical drips down the canvas. On closer view, there is a distinctive granular appearance to the crushed charcoal, which is typically mixed with water or a weak natural binder, such as orchid juice or gum resin. The paint has been diluted to such an extent that the charcoal particles have separated in places, forming coalescing ripples of pigment. Painted surfaces such as this are described as underbound due to the minimal amount of binding material present, which is the component of a paint mixture that adheres pigments particles to the canvas. As these surfaces are easily abraded and vulnerable to environmental exposure, preventive conservation strategies are essential. These include fitting a backing board and custom-built temporary timber frame to limit physical handling and minimise change to the work.