Title: Bessy, Floss and Middy at Beyondie (2025)
Artist: Dr. Reece George (Martu)
Dimensions: 80 × 80 cm (31.5 × 31.5 in)
Medium: Acrylic on canvas (original)
Status: Original consigned to Manyung Gallery (VIC) – available by enquiry
Year: 2025
Provenance: Painted and stretched 2025; consigned to Manyung Gallery, Victoria
Price: Contact for details
Bessy, Floss and Middy at Beyondie gathers three unmistakable station characters on a single desert stage. In front of a searing band of red–ochre sky, three brumbies stand shoulder to shoulder, their spiral glasses, shaggy manes and tilted ears catching the light like jewellery. The palette is deliberately bold – inky blacks, chalky whites, hot orange and soft blush pink… creating a graphic, contemporary presence that reads as both fine art and joyful storytelling.
From across the room the work lands like a statement piece: a square of desert energy that animates any wall. Up close, thousands of hand-placed marks and dots reveal intricate coats, whiskers and textures. This balance of immediate impact and intimate detail is what makes Reece’s work so sought after by collectors who want art that stirs the soul, sparks conversation and quietly grows in significance over time.
Cultural Context & Narrative
Reece George is a proud Martu artist whose stories are rooted in Beyondie Station… his family’s remote cattle station in Western Desert Country. These three horses are real and remembered as old station companions: Bessy the calm elder, Floss the sharp-eyed gossip, and Middy the wild-haired ring-leader. Their spiral glasses echo campfire stories told late into the night, when everyone leans in and the world tilts slightly with laughter.
Behind the humour sits a deeper Martu story about kinship and resilience. Shoulder to shoulder, the trio stand like a desert “mob”: individuals with their own quirks, bound together by shared country. The dotted circles and abstract motifs floating in the background hint at waterholes, dust storms and tracks across the salt lakes. Collectors often describe Reece’s paintings as living maps of memory… contemporary portraits that carry the weight of the world’s oldest continuous culture while remaining playful and disarming [1].
Artistic Process & Medium
This 80 × 80 cm canvas is painted in professional-grade acrylics on archival canvas. Reece works in layered passes: broad fields of hot orange and deep black are laid down first, establishing the strength of the composition. Over this he builds the characters using fine brushes and dotting tools, slowly constructing their coats from thousands of individual marks.
The result is a surface that feels almost embossed… dense with pattern, yet controlled and precise. The spiral spectacles and patterned bridles are painted last, acting as visual anchors that draw the eye back to each face. In a domestic or corporate setting, this balance of graphic punch and meticulous craftsmanship rewards repeated viewing and pairs easily with both contemporary interiors and more traditional collections.
Provenance & Exhibition Journey
Bessy, Floss and Middy at Beyondie was completed in 2025 and stretched on a custom stretcher frame before being consigned to Manyung Gallery in Victoria, known for its curated selection of leading contemporary art. The work is catalogued in the artist’s archive with full details of title, year, medium and size, ensuring clear provenance for future generations.
The painting is exhibited as a unique original only; no reproductions or editions are produced. Manyung Gallery coordinates all aspects of acquisition, including condition reporting, professional packing and insured delivery for domestic and international clients, offering a discreet, white-glove experience in line with the expectations of high-end collectors.
About the Artist
Dr. Reece George (b. 1967) is a Martu artist, writer and scholar whose practice bridges ancient desert traditions and contemporary fine art. Raised between Martu Country and Beyondie Station, he combines lived experience with academic rigour… holding doctorates in Marketing and Information Technology… to create works that are visually striking and conceptually layered.
Reece is represented by Wentworth Galleries (Sydney/Brisbane) and Manyung Gallery Group (Victoria). His paintings have been profiled in national media for their “joyful Martu storytelling in fine art,” blending expressive animal figures, intricate dot work and bold desert palettes with cultural and emotional depth. For collectors, his work offers both cultural legacy and strong long-term collectability within the rapidly growing market for contemporary Aboriginal art.[1]
Collector’s Notes
- Cultural Legacy: A one-of-a-kind Martu work that connects your collection to the world’s oldest continuous artistic tradition, while focusing on a warm, character-driven story from Beyondie Station.
- Visual Impact: The square 80 × 80 format and high-contrast palette create a commanding focal point in living rooms, dining spaces or executive offices, with intricate detail rewarding close inspection.
- Investment Quality: Reece’s representation by established galleries and growing national profile position his work well for long-term value appreciation, while also offering the intangible value of cultural stewardship.[1]
- Exclusivity: Sold only as the original canvas… no prints or editions… preserving rarity for existing and future collectors.
- Installation & Framing: The work is supplied stretched and ready to hang; a simple black or natural-oak float frame is recommended to echo the desert palette and emphasise the strong graphic lines.
- Progress Images: Serious collectors may request a private gallery of high-resolution progress photos, documenting the evolution of Bessy, Floss and Middy from first sketch to final dot. These images add depth to the provenance and create a compelling story to share with guests.
References
1 The Urbanite: A Blake Phillips Publication, 2025, Reece George’s Contemporary Indigenous Art Shines at Wentworth Galleries
