Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford was born at Bedford Downs Station in the East Kimberley of Western Australia. A member of the Gija people, his family history was marked by brutal clashes between white colonists and his indigenous ancestors. Bedford worked as a stockman until an injury precluded him. As a senior law man, he engaged in traditional ceremonial painting from early manhood, but only began painting on canvas in 1998, later using gouache on paper.
He joined the Jirrawun Arts group and became part of the East Kimberley/Turkey Creek movement. His solo exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, and Darwin received critical acclaim. Over eight years, Bedford built a rich oeuvre and became one of Australia's most important indigenous artists. His distinctive style features graphical elements, striking colors, and sparse but precisely placed lines, often delineated by white dots. His works depict the East Kimberley landscape and Dreamtime stories associated with his family, as well as historical events like the Bedford Downs Massacre.
Central to his work is the theme of reconciliation, referred to as “two-way.” Bedford was one of eight Australian indigenous artists commissioned to create a permanent work for the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris in 2006. That year, he was honored with a major retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, which toured nationally. Despite starting his artistic career late in life, Bedford achieved extraordinary success. After his death in 2007, his reputation grew, with Qantas commissioning a Boeing 737-800 livery reflecting his work Medicine Pocket (2005). His works are exhibited in major Australian public galleries and private collections worldwide.