Australian Aboriginal Art - 4 Jew Fish, in natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark - Reduced

Aboriginal Bark Painting "4 Jew Fish" by:
Aboriginal Australian visual artist Norah Bindul 1981.

63cm x 41cm Natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark.
Bears artist's name and language group on the reverse
Tribal Group - Roper River

Norah Bindul was born in Quada River near Bulman, Northern Territory.
Her tribe was Murraba and she was high up in her culture.
Norah was the foremost artist of her area during the 1980s and exhibited in Sydney and Canberra.

Several works by the artist have been sold at auction, including 'Rirrharrngu Story' sold at Bonhams Australia, Sydney 'The Evatt Collection of Aboriginal Bark Paintings & Sculpture' in 2013. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies – Australian National University has two other bark paintings. Rainbow Lorikeets in a tree and “Galeh Galeh” Crocodile waiting to eat flying foxs. Her bark painting Galeh Galeh can be seen in the Battye Libbrary on the 3rd floor of the Alexander Librarybuilding.

Bark paintings are regarded as fine art, as opposed to an interesting Indigenous handicraft, and commanded high prices accordingly on the international art markets. Nowadays, the value of a fine bark painting depends not only on the skill and fame of the artist, and on the quality of the art itself, but also on the degree to which the artwork encapsulates the culture by telling a traditional story.

Bark paintings are based on sacred designs that include abstract patterns and designs (such as cross-hatching in particular colours) that identify a clan, and also often contain elements of the Eternal Dreamtime.
natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark and measures 63cm x 41cm

The barest necessities for bark artwork are paint, brushes, bark, fixative and a fire. The material of choice is the bark from Stringybark (Eucalyptus tetradonta). The bark must be free of knots and other blemishes.
It is best cut from the tree in the wet season when the sap is rising.
Two horizontal slices and a single vertical slice are made into the tree, and the bark is carefully peeled off with the aid of a sharpened tool.
Only the inner smooth bark is kept and placed in a fire.
After heating in the fire, the bark is flattened under foot and weighted with stones or logs to dry flat. Once dry, it is ready to paint upon.

Using Earth pigments—or ochres—in red, yellow and black are used, also mineral oxides of iron and manganese and white pipeclay, or calcium carbonate. Ochres may be fixed with the sap or juice of plants such as orchid bulbs.
After the painting is completed, the bark is splinted at either end to keep the painting flat. A fixative, traditionally orchid juice is added over the top.

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