how mixed media trees are created

I made a bold decision to use the historical Treaty Oak as inspiration for a creation. Once i have an idea or drawing as inspiration for a tree I start to create the foundation which is called an "armature". The basic shape of the armature is created using 12 gauge aluminum wire. To provide the size & shape aluminum foil is then applied to the trunk & branches.

Clay is meticulously applied and molded to create the actual shape of the trunk & branches of the tree. Once the first coat of clay dries after 2 days another coat or 2 of clay is applied to even out the areas & provide more depth where needed. Once everything has dried (several days!) then tree is then lightly sanded to even it up for it's first coat of painting.

The first coat is a primer to seal the clay & create a good base for the acrylic paints. Once the primer has dried the first coat of acrylic paints are applied. Typically I will edit the paint on the tree 4-5 times to create the most realistic colors possible.

For the actual foliage, I start off using  a product that is actual tree parts & are extremely tiny. The real name for it is Zeecum & apparently it only grows in the Netherlands so is sometimes difficult to get depending on the season & how much rain they got in that region.

  I trim tiny  pieces off & then meticulously glue them to the branches with some very strong & brain-cell-killing adhesives. Piece by piece, one by one, I create the shape I feel the tree needs. Depending on the size of the tree it can vary from 50 pieces to over 500  pieces. With this large tree I stopped counting. This one step with this particular tree took 3 days & over 9 hours to complete. 

Here is where is starts looking like a real tree! Once I have glued on as many pieces as I think it should have I will the prepare it for the "leaves".

Once all of the pieces are glued on I apply "flocking" with very strong adhesive. The flocking is a man-made product that looks like tiny leaves. It truly transforms the creation. Once the flocking has been applied I can now see where I need to go back and add more tree pieces (!!) because I can see that there is not enough volume. Once those are glued on I will re-flock until it looks good to me

I placed this particular tree on a large piece of oak that I had sanded down and applied a sealant. Once the tree is glued to the base I decided to add realistic static "grass" with glue to give it a nice touch.

Once everything has dried I then seal it with a spray varnish to keep the leaves, stems & paint attached.

The typical time required to create a mixed media tree is 1-3 weeks due to time necessary for application of each step, drying time & keeping patient.

The end result in this case turned out better than expected as I felt it truly captured the essence of the real tree.

It was only fitting that my Treaty Oak was able to be in the presence of the real thing. This piece won Best in Show/1st Place in a local art competition held here in Jacksonville.