FAQ

Raintree Art was founded by Shirley Collins in 1986. She is the first Aboriginal woman to own a commercial gallery in the Northern Territory. She gifted Jane the name and logo in 2008 to continue the Raintree Art legacy. So, although Raintree Art is not Indigenous owned, the name was gifted by an Indigenous founder.

We are very proud to carry on the Raintree name and legacy, maintaining direct relationships with artists and art centres, and stocking giftware featuring real art, made under license by real artists.

Please read our About Us page to find out more about who we are and how we got here.

Yes! Our gallery displays and sells a range of giftware and Aboriginal Art in Ballarat, Victoria. You can head over to our Contact Us page to find out more.

Raintree Art has been operating for 15 years, we have direct relationships with the artists whose paintings we sell, and we are a member of the Aboriginal Art Association of Australia. Not only do we have a vibrant gallery in Ballarat, Victoria, but we also have a beautiful and easy-to-navigate website with numerous payment options, including PayPal, AfterPay, Shop Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Klarna. We stock a huge range of paintings and giftware, and we deliver any of our items to anywhere in the world, so we can get your next treasure to you wherever you are.

The Aboriginal Art we see today is a contemporary incarnation of ancient storytelling traditions. Australian Aboriginal people (also known as Indigenous and First Nations people) across the Australian continent have been using art as a form of creative expression in important ceremonies, storytelling, and to communicate and explain ideas and concepts for over 60,000 years. Australia’s Indigenous people are considered to be the oldest surviving continual civilization in the world.

In the 1970s, Aboriginal people began to adapt modern and contemporary painting mediums and techniques to their traditional art and storytelling. This created an important connection to Aboriginal culture for
non-Indigenous Australians, and as a means for Aboriginal communities to share their stories and ancient traditions more widely, and generate income to support their careers as artists, and their large families. These aspects of contemporary Aboriginal Art are the foundation of the celebrated and widely-acclaimed Australian Aboriginal Art movement for the artists, galleries and the customers who purchase pieces for their homes.

The origins of Central and Western Desert ‘dot art’ are deeply rooted in cultural practices and traditions. Even though this popular and instantly recognisable style emerged as a modern form of expression in the 20th Century, it is connected to ancient traditions of storytelling and cultural preservation. Before the use of canvas and acrylics, storytellers and revered keepers of culture and story shared the details of these sacred stories directly into the surface of the desert using their hands and sticks to create epic Dreamtime stories of their ancestors, the landscape, and ceremony – designs that were, and are, an essential part of a deeply held spiritual connection to the land.

The symbols used in dot art predate the art style itself and have been integral to Aboriginal culture for tens of thousands of years. The patterns and designs in dot art represent more than aesthetic choices – they are maps of Country, narratives of ancestral journeys, and reflections of the artists’ cultural identities. They often depict tracks, waterholes, and other elements of the natural and spiritual world. Dots were also used to obscure sacred symbols and meanings, ensuring that uninitiated viewers could not fully interpret the spiritual and cultural significance of the stories for whom they were not intended.

The short answer is no, of course he didn’t. What he did do was introduce canvas and acrylic paint to indigenous culture.

To explain this in a bit more detail, it’s important to note that dot art, as we recognise it today, began with the Papunya Tula Art Movement in 1971. Geoffrey Bardon, a schoolteacher at Papunya, encouraged the local Aboriginal men to paint their traditional stories on canvas and board. This initiative gave rise to the first dot paintings. Early artists included Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, and Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, and their work brought attention to Aboriginal art as an important and valuable form of cultural expression.

Before acrylics, natural pigments like ochres were used, but they were less durable and therefore prone to disintegration over time. The acrylic paints introduced by Bardon allowed the artists to explore the integration of more vibrant colours that could reflect a vast range of ecological and environmental elements of their storytelling, while also ensuring the longevity and preservation of these important works. Today, dot art continues to evolve, blending traditional and contemporary elements, but the essential elements of each story remain connected to their cultural origins.

When Aboriginal people first started creating art to be purchased by outsiders, dots became a tool that was used to mask sacred symbols in the artwork. Dots were of course used prior to the 1970s, but this is when they became more abundant. The reason for this is that Aboriginal Art carries a lot of power, a kind of power that most non-Indigenous people are not familiar with, a sacred power linked to Country. This is not the kind of symbolism to which anyone could simply have access.

Although some symbolism has become more explicit in Aboriginal Art, and in some instances the dots serve as more of a cultural-visual language, they are still used at times to obscure sacred knowledge.

Establishing provenance is critical for a number of reasons. The most important of these is to establish the work’s authenticity. This involves verifying that the work is genuine and created by the artist to whom it is credited. While this would be impossible in the non-Indigenous Art world (with arguably some European exceptions), the stories shared throughout the Aboriginal Art Movement are ‘signature pieces’, and the permission to paint often quite specific stories rests, forever, with particular artists and their families. The late, great Gloria Petyarre, for example, was the first artist to paint the ‘Bush Medicine Leaves’ women’s ceremony, for which she would become the first Indigenous Artist to win the prestigious Wynne Landscape Prize in 1999. Throughout the evolution of the Aboriginal Art Movement after Gloria, it was, and is, only ever the female members of Gloria’s biological and extended family by association who are able to paint the details of this ceremony. The provenance, then, when examining a painting about the leaves used in this ceremony, involves tracing the origins of the piece back to Gloria.

The cultural significance of a painting is vital when establishing provenance. Defining a piece’s cultural significance within the Movement or the artist’s career, provides the context about the artwork’s cultural background, historical significance, and the artist’s intent, which enhances our appreciation and understanding of its place in the Movement. Defining a piece’s cultural significance can sometimes be as straightforward as recognising the subject of the painting as sharing details of a significant Dreamtime story, or how the artist had permission to paint a particular story. On other occasions, it can be about the artist sharing the choice of their colour palette, which is often associated with the colours of their Dreaming.

Defining a work’s cultural significance often extends beyond the cursory first glance and becomes about the place of the work within the trajectory of the artist’s career, where the piece was painted, and why. When
Caroline Numina, for example, returns to Darwin from her regular visits to her home (the Utopian Aboriginal Lands of the Eastern Desert), her paintings, by her own admission, take on a profound and deep connection to her Country. This is not to say that these paintings are any more important or valuable, but they represent a stronger connection to Country and to the ancestral subjects that inform and speak to us through Caroline’s work.

The ethics relating to acquisition and ownership of a particular piece is the cornerstone of the establishment of provenance. In the case of the Aboriginal Art Movement, ethical concerns about acquisition, representation, ownership, and cultural appropriation are critical to securing a piece’s rightful place in museums, galleries and private collections in Australia and around the world. Examining the ethics of acquisition begins with the moment the painting is brought to the point of initial sale/exchange. This can have occurred through a number of means, including, but not limited to, art galleries, artist’s studios (including their homes and/or established studios in towns and regional centres, established Aboriginal Community Art Centres on Country, and/or auction houses).

At the point of first exchange, the buyer must determine who the painting is by, the title, the story that is represented in the work, when it was painted, what medium, what material, and the measurements. The convention, then, is to attempt to ascertain as much information about the subject of the painting as is possible and permissible, and to clearly document these details on a ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ or ‘Certificate of Authentication’. These details can include the artist’s date of birth, their Country, and their language group. It is also at this point that the work will be given a dedicated catalogue number – a unique identifier for that particular painting as it begins its journey to market. A ‘Holding shot’ of the Artist displaying their painting for the camera is then taken (if the Artist agrees), and this photograph is then included on the Certificate of Authenticity. It is this Certificate of Authenticity that will, for the life of the painting, accompany it for prosperity and documented proof of the work’s authenticity.

Today, non-Indigenous collectors of Aboriginal Art have more insight than ever into the stories behind the paint, but much of the knowledge that forms the core of these stories is still sacred, and the creation of the artwork comes from something far deeper than pure aesthetic value.

When we think about how big the Australian Aboriginal Art movement has become, and how prolific contemporary Aboriginal artists are, it is often suggested that Aboriginal Art is now simply a money maker, and that the sacredness has been swallowed by consumerism. This is absolutely not the case. The style presented in authentic Aboriginal Art has indeed been appropriated by non-Aboriginal people who are simply trying to make money by generating inauthentic pieces.

But although the market for authentic Aboriginal Art has grown exponentially since the 1970s, and although generating income is still a really important part of Aboriginal Art, the stories that are depicted are no less sacred. Artists still paint from a place of connection to Country, they still draw from sacred knowledge.  This is an aspect of Aboriginal Art that is increasingly crucial to realise, as preservation of these stories is critical for so many First Nations. The need to communicate through art is as vital as ever.

By collecting Aboriginal art, we not only enrich our lives with compelling and meaningful works, but we also play an important role in celebrating and sustaining the culture and legacy of the world’s oldest surviving civilisation. Aboriginal art is one of the oldest continuing artistic traditions in the world, dating back over 60,000 years. Collecting and preserving this art ensures that these traditions, stories, and cultural expressions are valued, present and admired in our daily lives, and passed on through our families to future generations.

This is why Aboriginal Art is, and will continue to be, important.

Yes, we ship all over the world. Shipping costs will apply and will be added at checkout. For USA deliveries, please see additional FAQ entry below.

International import duties and taxes (such as VAT, excise duties, custom duties) may be applicable depending on where you reside. Raintree Art is not responsible for the amount you may be charged for any or all of the international import duties and taxes applicable to your purchase(s), and you will need to contact your postal service with any questions about what that amount might be.

Please note: free shipping for paintings over $100 only applies to paintings shipped within Australia.

Due to tariffs introduced by the US government, as well as third party processing fees, we have changed the way we process orders to the US.

If you would like to have anything sent to the US, please email us at info@raintreeart.com.au and let us know what you would like to order. We can then create an invoice for you that includes the additional charges to cover the US government's tariff, as well as an admin fee of $20 AUD.

Our shipping costs are between $12.95–$18.95 for standard delivery and from $19.90 for Express Post services within Australia. These costs can be calculated prior to checkout and are then added to the shopping cart before checkout. Our TNT/FedEx and Express Post delivery options include tracking reference number shared with our customers via email.

For items being sent to the US, please see the previous FAQ entry Do you ship to the US? for additional fees.

Overseas costs will depend on your location. Your best bet is to head to the checkout page once you've added everything to your cart, and view the shipping amount and total cost before paying.

We endeavour to dispatch all orders that don’t require framing within 2 business days. Express orders placed before midday are usually dispatched same day. Shipping times are estimated at between 3–7 business days depending on your location within Australia and 7–14 days for overseas orders. The total costs are displayed in the shopping cart and include all taxes and handling charges.

Small paintings that require framing are usually framed by Raintree Art and will be dispatched within 1-2 weeks. Larger paintings are sent to our preferred framer within a few business days. These will be dispatched to you from the framer within 3 weeks from date of purchase. Please note, we cannot deliver framed paintings overseas.

For small and some medium-sized pieces, we frame the paintings in-house. From the time of purchase, it takes 1 – 2 weeks to have the paintings framed. Once this is complete, we send the paintings via Australia Post and you will receive the tracking details via email.

For larger paintings, we use a professional third party framing service – Fantastic Framing. We send the painting to the framer who then frames the piece and ships directly to you via express courier. The framed piece will be with you within 3 weeks of the purchase date.

Please note:

• We cannot send paintings that require framing with express post. It’s often not possible for paintings to be stretched or framed within a day or two, so express post is not feasible.
• You can select express post for pre-stretched paintings or just the painting itself.
• We cannot post paintings that require stretching or framing outside of
  Australia unless it’s a small pre-stretched painting. If you’re not
  sending the artwork within Australia and are unsure, please contact us to
  confirm if we can ship to you.
• If you’re ordering your painting with framing, it’s best to include a
  residential address and a phone number. For paintings being sent via courier (this includes any painting sent to our external framer), this information is required for the courier to deliver the painting. They will not deliver a painting without a contact number and they cannot deliver to a PO Box or Parcel Collect.
• The above point also applies to large paintings purchased without framing. Sometimes these paintings are too big for Australia Post even once rolled in a tube, and we need to use a courier service for delivery. If you’re unsure, it’s best to include this information.

We can stretch or frame paintings in-house as long as both sides are under 150cm and you’re able to pick the painting up from the gallery directly. If postage is required, please see the previous answer.

Our paintings are not varnished. Our artists use high quality acrylic paints on high quality canvas. In our many years of experience in the industry, we do not
believe varnishing is necessary for the artwork we sell.

Because our artists use high quality materials, we don’t feel glass is necessary for protection, and in the wrong lighting can in fact be detrimental to viewing the piece. Of course, you are welcome to have your artwork mounted any way you please, but we do not offer this service.