Wally’s Workshop

Archaeologists have for years told us of the arrival over 60000 years ago of the first humans in Australia. These first Australians come from many Asian countries crossing the continental land shelf. The northern part of Australia started to populate with people many of whom moved into the Kimberly, Arnhem and Cape York Regions of Australia.

In northern Australia there are many caves, cliffs and sandstone rock-shelters, it is widely accepted that these were used for camping, their floors are layered with charcoal and ash from camp fires, the remains of food such as shells and animal bones, stone tools and, very often, pieces of ochre have been found. Ochre comes from soft varieties of iron oxide minerals (such as haematite - a fine-grained iron oxide which produces a strong red colour with a purple tint) and from rocks containing ferric oxide, and is still used in Aboriginal Art.

In the case of rock painting, the original Aboriginal Art, dates have been obtained for pigment directly on the walls and for painted fragments buried in deposits of campsite material. Techniques for dating have usually involved radio-carbon dating of material, but there are also newer techniques now available including optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS).

To prove an exact date, because carbon dating is only good for about 40000 years scientist used the newer methods of dating. Which scientist have discovered had another benefit that less material was needed to test and prove an items date. This is proving to be really useful and beneficial to scientist and paintings alike.

Ochre is the main pigment used in rock art and is found across most of Australia. Pieces of ochre, have been found in almost all of Australia’s ice-age sites. Most have been radiocarbon dated and the dates range from 10 000 to 40 000 years. Proving that Aboriginal Art can trace its beginnings back to the stone age. But it hasn’t remained there. Aboriginal Art now encompasses the use acrylics, canvas, glass, and ceramic tiles as well as ochres, bark and wood.

Because of the difficulty in presenting art in caves to a wider audience it was only a matter of time before art moved onto canvas and tiles. With the early artist creating a dedicated following many of their paintings and carvings have appreciated phenomenally , some showing unprecedented growth.

There are so many ways to celebrate art and decorate walls and rooms that , aboriginal art offers something that is original with nearly every one been hand painted on location. Because of this it is much easier to get a painting from a new painter while they are unknown. Image getting an early Albert Namatjira you couldn’t not smile.

You will then have a valuable and authentic piece of aboriginal art, there is nothing quiet like watching a piece of art bout cheap go for $50000 dollars. While many artist will never achieve this type of fame it seems that more aboriginal paintings and carvings are appreciating faster.