Baobab Trees Print

Inspired by the "Tree of Life," the Baobab Tree - I first learned about the Baobab tree after watching National Geographic. The indigenous people named it the tree of life. The tree of life precedes the separation of the continents before the Ice Age. This tree, can live for 5000 years. It is a succulent. It can reach up to 30 m high as well as 50 m in circumference. These trees could be found in 32 countries on the continent of Africa. For me, nothing that grows on this planet says longevity like the Baobao tree. That’s why it was my subject for this piece. In order to make this painting I had to take a large cooking pot and heat it up with several large scoops of tar. Adding paint thinner to help separate the compound, I had to wear a respirator, face and skin coverings as I am aware of other artists who have met their demise by working with Tar. Once the compounds were separated from the binding agents, I was able to extract the necessary components to create this piece. To complete the painting I used various Winton Oil colors.