American Canopy

Let’s face it, this week’s painting represents an American Canopy. What do I mean by that? I will share more here. But first I want to welcome new readers to this blog and share it’s purpose. To learn about that, check out the link here. Let’s get to the ever changing American Canopy, shall we?

Change is Everywhere

In nearly ever American city, there seems to be massive amounts of development going on. Whether you are driving across country or up the east or west coast, you can’t escape seeing the huge scaffolding of buildings going up and the massive equipment that companies use to prepare land for the buildings by tearing down trees and more.

So even though the painting I did this week is of a project happening less than a few blocks from our house, I knew most people would recognize it. And, that’s one of the reason’s I am calling this painting “American Canopy.” Here’s that painting. It’s 6×12 inches and painted in oils on panel. Yes it’s for sale for $197. Simply click on the Paypal button below to purchase and make it your own.

This scene has been a long time in the making. What do I mean by that? Well, first let’s talk about that tree. It’s located on a corner (different corner from last week’s post). That tree caught my eye nearly two years ago. It’s trunk is massive. And, the light on it is gorgeous. Here’s a drawing I did of the trunk in August 2020.

Until a few months ago, that tree was surrounded by other trees including another oak immediately next to it of smaller size. There were three or four mighty magnolias. And a grove of pine trees at the opposite end of the block. Now? All but that one oak tree remain. Why? There are luxury apartments being built on that block.

Choosing Battles

Before you think I am going to start on an anti-development rant, I am not. Raleigh is a pretty wonderful place to live. And, lots of people want to move here; more than can be accommodated right now. Since I was one of those ‘foreigners’ who moved here with work in the early 80s, I say welcome.

But in my (simple) mind, the incentives are all wrong. Meaning? Meaning the mighty dollar prevails. Period. There are plenty of places in this town, in my mind, that have existing buildings that are under used and or derelict. It’s AOK in my mind to tear down those places and build away. The more dense, the better. Just make sure we have systems (transit, sidewalks, bike lanes, schools and food supply) to support these. But I digress. This is a blog about painting, color and beauty. So let’s get back on track. OK?

Sideways to the Right Path

I do think we are shooting ourselves in the foot to clear cut all the trees to make way for more development. But my thinking is not new. And history shows that this approach, of felling trees, is not new in American history either. Enter American Canopy, the book, by Eric Rutkow. Oh my goodness what a beautiful book cover. Here’s an image of it.

Heads up, I have not read this book yet. I have submitted a request to our local library asking them to add it to their collection. That way, after I read it (assuming they agree to add it to their collection), you locals can read it too. The gist of the book is an historian’s research and retelling of how we Americans have used trees throughout time. And, even though we may look with dismay at the trees coming down in the interest of prosperity and growth, we have been doing this for years, sadly. As the book jacket describes: “…most of us share a sense that to destroy trees is to destroy part of ourselves and endanger the future.”

Intent

My intent in sharing the book and painting this painting is heartfelt. We need to understand our past to shape our future. But also I think there are so many problems that we encounter that we (at least I) can get overwhelmed. So I intend to share some small steps I and you can take. These steps to help the environment, in some small way, counter the madness that is our current state of affairs. So here are two super nifty projects worth considering.

Lights Out

Audubon shares that artificial light can deter birds from their migratory paths. The solution? Turn off lights. Is that it? Yes! Here’s an article from National Audubon with more details. Here in Raleigh, Lights Out is underway because fall migration starts on September 10 and continues through November 30. That means when we are sleeping hundreds, even thousands, of birds are flying over head.

If you live in this area, you can take an actual pledge to turn off your porch lights between the hours of 11:00pm and 6:00am. This simple act will help more birds migrate. Here’s where you can take the pledge in Wake County. The National Audubon link has more details about ways to find out if your community is participating in this program.

Another Step

You can also choose to participate in another amazing movement called the Homegrown National Park led by Doug Tallamy. The call to action here is to plant native plants on a portion of your property. If everyone does this we could add to the biodiversity of our planet, one yard at a time. I thought about each of these projects: Lights Out and Home Grown National Park, as I was painting “American Canopy” this week. Why?

Because as the huge projects carry on and seem to overwhelm, we each can act individually to help our environment. And that inspires me and gives me hope too.

How About You

What about you gentle reader? Are there paintings or projects that inspire you to help protect our environment? If so, I would love to hear more and hope you will share in the comments below.