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. 

Painting trees to make waves in the forest with Nancy V., Earth Guardians: Sam, Aidan and Christian. The Blued Trees  launch site is in the  corridor for the proposed Algonquin pipeline expansion for "natural" gas that would be installed 105' from the Indian Point nuclear plant facility in Peekskill, NY.

The Greek Chorus for Blued Trees is whomever is resisting the proliferation of additional fossil fuel infrastructure, anyplace in the world. The recipe to make waves with trees or the musical measure to make music with a forest as part of the Greek Chorus, is in the previous post on this blog.

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."