Painting Item Number: 3527/5 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Rectangular piece of barkcloth with abstract linear designs painted across surface; done in black. Top half of painting has columns with groupings of four lines spaced evenly along length; plain columns interspersed between patterned ones. Faint curvilinear and geometric motifs painted overtop of columns, towards bottom centre of section. Bottom half of painting is covered in rows of groupings of three lines; long vertical lines, stretching from middle of painting to bottom edge, throughout. Back of barkcloth is undecorated.
The barkcloth is made by men, beating a layer of tree bark until it is thin and pliable. Women paint the designs, which are often symbolic of their forested surroundings, using a mixture of charcoal and natural plant dyes.