Bark painting is an art for which the Aboriginal people of Australia are world famous. Originally, only the Aboriginal people of Arnhem Land made bark paintings, but the art form spread. Most bark paintings portray parts of Aboriginal myths and legends of the Dreamtime (story of creation). Each group of Aboriginal people has traditional designs.
Aboriginal people cut bark from gum trees, flatten it, and dry it. They grind natural pigments and charcoal, then mix them with plant juices to make their paints. They once made brushes by biting and softening the ends of twigs or strips of bark.
