Candy Nelson Nakamarra was born in Yuendumu in 1964, along with her family, Candy paints the Kalipinypa Water Dreaming Story, of the rain and hail making ceremony.
Candy's style is distinct and evolving, creating sought after contemporary works that employ bold contrasting colours and a layering of drips, outlines and drawn elements. She describes her works as to "look as if they are breathing, with the drawing elements popping out of the canvas." In her works, she represents tali (sandhills) running water, and dotting to represent hail storms and rain within her backgrounds. Through the drawn shapes and motifs her works show waterholes, running water, bush tucker, water birds and flowers present after a storm, as well as the wanampi (water snake) which lives under the waterhole.
Winner of the Interrelate Acquisitive Prize as part of the Wollotuka Acquisitive Art Prize (2012), her work is held in the Macquarie Bank Collection, Parliament House Canberra Collection and the Hassall Collection. Recently she has been a part of a series of successful exhibitions at Edwina Corlette and was part of Sydney Contemporary 2022.
