SECTION ONE
Ancient Redwoods blanketed our coastal region and extended inland, fed by ocean fog. They condense moisture in their branches making it rain at their feet even while their tips may emerge into sun.
Redwoods live 800 to 1,500 years, with some being 2,200 years or more! They are among the oldest living things on the planet.
The tallest tree on earth is a redwood at 380 ft. Trunk diameter can measure 30 ft.
This is why I choose to paint these magnificent trees the way we experience them, as massive trunks whose tips we can’t even see.
My method involves masking tape:
I use the tape to block out the vertical gaps between trunks. Then I am free to paint the bark of the trunks with huge strokes. After pulling away the tape I can paint luminosity between the trees.
Have you noticed the heart shape that is part of my architectural element at the top of each panel?
The spotted owl was a species crucial to saving what remnant of old growth forest we still have. It’s true of the whole mural, but this panel is hard to photograph and is more massive and inspiring in person. Come visit!
Next panel, which starts the next section: