The works of Niah Juella Mcleod draw inspiration from various moments in her life, with only a few directly connected to the traditional stories of the Dreamtime. Bana Gugaa is a striking example.

In this painting, Niah combines two key elements of her visual lexicon. Bana means “rain” and is represented through fine, sometimes wavy lines that evoke flowing water. Gugaa refers both to the characteristic rings of the stringybark eucalyptus and to the texture of its fibrous bark, depicted through concentric circles.

Through Bana Gugaa, Niah Juella Mcleod evokes the image of rain cascading over eucalyptus trunks, creating a scene that is at once poetic and deeply rooted in her connection to nature and the land of her community. The title can thus be translated as “Rain on the Stringybark Eucalyptus,” a perfect synthesis of her sensitive approach, blending natural observation with contemporary artistic expression.