Bark Art - Shirley Yeates

Following my retirement in 2014, I lived on a Vineyard for a short while. Each day I would walk around the property and became more aware of my surroundings and the amount of bark that had fallen on the ground. As such, I started to look at the bark in a totally new way. From patterns, textures and colours to the differences in thickness and shape e.g. bumpy, smooth, multi-colours to fissures transforming the bark into ridges or different shapes.

I then started to create different framed bark pieces showing contemporary abstract designs and items using tree bark from the property e.g. different gum trees - stringy bark, blue gum bark, paper bark and also gum leaves. However since moving back to the city I now source the different bark from the landscape around the local environment in the Western Region of Victoria. I also create framed cotton pieces which are also included in the Bark Art Photo Album. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bark-Art/1512372289048034)

To create the Bark Art, different pieces of bark are sourced and then: coloured matched; cut into different sizes and shapes; arranged into contemporary designs or patterns; each piece is glued onto art paper to form the design; and finally the work is framed. The framed Cotton pieces use the same process as above which ensures that each piece that is created is individual and unique.