Maria Nampijinpa Brown was born in 1973 at Alice Springs Hospital, the nearest medical facility to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 km from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. She is the daughter of Wendy Nungarrayi Brown and the granddaughter of the late Paddy Japaljarri Sims. As a child, Maria spent time observing her mother and grandparents as they painted and shared their stories.

Maria is widowed and resides in Yuendumu with her two daughters, Antoinette Napanangka Brown and Alicka Napanangka Brown. Since 1995, Maria has been an active contributor to the Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal-owned and -operated art centre. She paints her family’s Jukurrpa stories, which have been passed down through countless generations. These narratives are deeply connected to her traditional country, located northwest of Nyirirpi, a settlement 160 km west of Yuendumu.

In her artwork, Maria blends traditional iconography with a unique, modern style to depict her cultural heritage. Beyond her art, she enjoys sharing stories with her grandchildren, hunting for honey ants during the rainy season, and collecting firewood to prepare kangaroo tails.