There Is More Than You Can See

Beauty Sleep

2021-08-25T10:30:48+00:00

Trees behave differently at night than during the day--their own form of sleeping. During this time they shrink and lower their branches. Scientists are still researching their other functions during sleep. This time is crucial to re-energize, and the scale, glow, and perspective of the painting honors the connection between trees’ sleep and life energy. Light indicates to trees to carry out certain processes such as photosynthesis, so artificial lights of different kinds confuse these innate rhythms. Check out the last images of this painting glowing in the dark!

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Social Exclusion & Social Proximity

2021-08-22T15:43:15+00:00

Trees are social beings. They connect to each other and have relationships with one another. Remarkably, some are excluded. Trees do not always include everyone in their resource networks.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Silent Death

2021-08-22T15:26:08+00:00

Grass may not seem like a likely aggressor, but it can cause death. It attacks in a slow and silent way--one might even call it graceful.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Lullaby & Other Tones

2021-08-22T14:15:36+00:00

During breastfeeding, mother pigs create a cocoon of sounds for their young. Beyond just a lullaby song, pigs create many (scientists have thus far recognized 20) sounds for this beginning of life, one of which is unique to the breastfeeding stage.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Hormonal Balance

2021-08-22T13:53:20+00:00

Trees’ hormones are extremely important and pervasive - they are in the trunk, cell vessels, and are dispersed throughout the atmosphere around the trees. This painting visualizes the hormonal section of the trunk. Hormones function as communication and protection and are essential to the life force of the tree.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Parenting

2021-01-20T18:27:28+00:00

Older trees care for younger ones throughout the year--even in the dead of winter. In each season, they adapt to various conditions to continue passing on nutritious food, hormones, poison for protection, and communication about how to live for thousands of years. Older trees’ branches slow down the growth of smaller trees to maximize the strength of the growing cells.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Suspended Death

2021-01-20T15:57:58+00:00

Carbon dating shows that trees growing out of bigger trunks, like the spruce shown in this painting, can actually be several hundred years old. Trees which seem dead because they no longer have greenery to photosynthesize with are supported by neighboring trees through their root systems to continue living. A tree which has lost all its mechanisms for new growth, like leaves or needles, can stay alive through its connection to other trees.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Collaboration with the Enemy

2021-01-20T15:53:09+00:00

Trees are interconnected with the organisms around them. If a tree is sick and a fungus takes over, the tree dies and the fungus decomposes it, putting trees and fungus at odds. However, this dynamic isn’t always the case: sometimes, the trees take poison from the fungi and use it to protect themselves against animals.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Big Data

2021-01-20T15:48:11+00:00

Trees communicate through their roots--but in order to reach more of the forest, they also connect to fungi root structures. Through these networks, trees transport chemical substances which act as warnings and defence.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.

Foster Care

2021-01-20T15:42:50+00:00

Trees share a goal: to live to the fullest potential and create a forest. They’ll help each other out despite being different species. Older trees shadow the younger ones to slow their growth, which strengthens the development of their cells. When trees grow very fast, their cells become dry and brittle, making them susceptible to cracking in storms. When trees grow slowly, their cells are more flexible, and thus better equipped for defense against threats like beetles, fires, droughts, and winds.

Part of the painting series There Is More Than You Can See.