Painting Item Number: 3527/12 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Rectangular piece of barkcloth with abstract geometric and linear designs painted across surface; done in black. Top half of painting is covered with intersecting lines of varying widths; bottom half of painting is decorated with two wide bands. Bands are filled with irregularly-shaped diamonds; negative space between diamonds and band edges are filled with horizontal and diagonal lines. 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.