The mounting system used by Schumacher Coburn is an engineered method which allows the bark painting to be displayed or stored. Also, it can be freed from its support or “cradle”, without any stress to the artwork, if required.

Each mount is designed separately to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of each bark. Our mounts are constructed to have flexible and supportive spines running with the grain of the bark, while the arms and bracing running against the grain, are light and springy. The number of adjustable arms and the amount of bracing is determined by qualities in the bark such as weight, degree of ‘curl’, cracks and fragility. The amount of bracing needed is always an equation between flexibility and support.

This system uses a discreet aluminium frame. Radiating from the alloy frame are flexible and adjustable arms which cradle the bark from the sides, top and bottom.

Stress and damage to the artwork is reduced by the even distribution of brackets or fingers, enabling the mount rather than the bark to be handled for display and storage. Barks can be stored either vertically or horizontally while remaining cradled by the mount.

This mounting system inhibits the possibility of the bark cracking due to the inherent spring flexibility in the extruded alloy mount which allows for the natural movement of the artwork (expansion, contraction and curling).

All materials that are in direct contact with the bark are inert and will not damage or deface the bark in any way.

The bark once mounted, it can be attached to a wall in the same way as a conventional painting, however the only intrusion to the appearance of the bark are the minimal brackets which cradle it safely. This enables the painting to be free of a ‘westernising’ picture frame or museum box which is at odds with the nature of this type of traditional Aboriginal Art.

This mount is designed to detach from the bark simply and without the aid of tools. There are no attachments or penetrations made to the actual artwork. We have produced mounts for bark paintings ranging in size from 30cm to 3 metres. Large barks require additional bracing.

This mounting system is an engineered development based on previous existing methods.

View video of our display mount system: