Meeyakba Shane Pickett, a Balladong man and an important artist of national repute, was born in 1957 (d. 2010), in Quairading, a Wheatbelt town located approximately 170 kilometres east of Perth. Through the connectedness of both his mother and father to the culture and traditions of their respective peoples, the Balladong and Jdewat, Pickett became a powerful interpreter and storyteller for his people.

‘The importance of Dreaming as an overarching presence in Indigenous cultural and social life is central to the work of Pickett. The implied presence of ‘the land’ is a constant in his work, whether it is through referencing the six Nyoongar seasons, or the water, trees, rocks, or animals of his Country. For Pickett, it is the ever-present living force that is Dreaming which is giving purpose and meaning to things, oversee(ing) our fate, and provide(ing) guidance for right behaviour’ – Written by Ian McLean, 2006