How to Paint a Tree; join the "Blued Trees" Greek Chorus
How to Paint One Tree for the
Greek Chorus
Whisk or mix until uniform:
3 teaspoons ultramarine blue
pigment
and 12 oz full fat buttermilk
(thick, spreads well)
Here's an alt: Squeeze a TBSP of
lemon juice
into 12 oz of whole milk --
wait a bit for milk to thicken.
Outline the wave --- we used blue
sidewalk chalk.
The wave shape on each tree should be tall,
Wide, wrap around the tree and in
proportion
to the dimensions of the trunk.
(see pics on previous posts: www.
pushing rocks. blogspot)
A three or four inch brush works
well. Have a rag handy to wipe off the drips. (Or don't)
One coat produces a translucent
wave,
A second,
touch-up coat will make the color stand out more boldly.
See details
for pigment and buttermilk sources in previous post.
Please send your documentation of your painted tree (trees) to: ghostnets@ghostnets.com.
Source for the pigment includes Dick Blick: http://www.dickblick.com/products/gamblin-artists-colors-dry-pigments/. Sources for buttermilk powder include amazon.com. Purchase a 4” wide house-painting bristle brush to practice painting.
Please send your documentation of your painted tree (trees) to: ghostnets@ghostnets.com.
Source for the pigment includes Dick Blick: http://www.dickblick.com/products/gamblin-artists-colors-dry-pigments/. Sources for buttermilk powder include amazon.com. Purchase a 4” wide house-painting bristle brush to practice painting.
Note: I am trying to be careful to use the word with about the entire project, rather than on or in because as long as we remember we must live with other species, humans have a prayer of survival on this planet, as Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change as a matter of the "common good."
In the next days, I will load examples from the Greek Chorus. From Florida, Jesse Etelson sent this description of two sites he will be painting with:
"Blued Trees Site: Mangrove Park, Indian River
Lagoon, Stuart, FL. Mangrove Park is a mangrove tree forest preserve on South
Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, one of the most bio-diverse and threatened
estuaries in the world. The site is being encroached on by suburban
development, poisoned by toxic water from Lake Okeechobee discharges, big
agriculture and local runoff. The toxic algae blooms suffocate oyster beds, sea
grasses and wildlife. Public health warnings at beaches and waterways plague
economies based on tourism and send people to the hospital with infections,
coined “River Rot”. EcoArtist, Jesse Etelson is currently working with
community, scientists and engineers to develop EcoArt
collaborations/interventions on the site to protect and promote expansion of
mangrove habitat on the lagoon.
Blued Trees Site: Torry Island, Lake
Okeechobee, Belle Glade, FL. Torry Island wildlife preserve is known as the
headwaters of Everglades National Park and connects the lakes of Orlando,
Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades, coastal estuaries and
Florida Keys. Torry Island preserve is the last 10% of glades marshland habitat
remaining in the EAA (Everglades Agricultural Area), a clear cut wasteland of
factory farms and shanty towns. The EAA and supporting water management
structures exasperate Florida’s toxic water issues by blocking the southward
flow down the watershed, fragmenting fragile habitats and adding GMO
fertilizers into the ecosystem. Like Torry Island, land purchased/protected in
the EAA can restore natural flow and interconnection of the entire watershed
and provide economic opportunities for glades communities through permaculture
(sustainable farming practices) and Ecotourism. In 2012, EcoArtist, Jesse
Etelson directed, “Welcome Home Wildlife, Torry Island EcoArt Project” a collaboration
with residents and landowners in the EAA to restore habitat and educate
community through continued art intervention/engagement."