What are Aboriginal Bark Paintings?

Aboriginal bark paintings have a long cultural tradition, believed to extend back many thousands of years. They were used to convey and illustrate stories that were told to the clan when holed up in the shelter for long periods in the wet season.

The process of making a bark painting begins with choosing a suitable stringy bark eucalyptus tree, preferably in the wet season when the sap is rising and the bark is fairly supple and easy to grip. Cuts are made top and bottom and a hollow open cylinder of bark is removed. The bark sheet is trimmed and cured with fire to drive out any moisture. Next it is flattened to the ground with feet and then held down with heavy weights to prevent warping.

The Aboriginal bark painters used four basic pigments—red, black, white and yellow. The reds and yellows come from ochres (crushed and powdered rocks). White comes from pipeclay and black generally comes from charcoal. Sometimes natural fixatives are mixed in to bind the pigments and which include wax, egg yolk, resin and the sap of orchid plants. The paint can then be applied to the bark by using a wood comb, or with brushes made from human hair or even feathers.