For some reason the river birch trees have escaped my attention when Bufffy and I hike the trail at a nearby lake.
It’s not like their bark resembles “normal” tree bark.
The paper-thin pieces blow in the wind.
These brought back memories of when my 4 kids made presents for those on our Christmas list. They also made the wrapping paper (some of which were framed).
It took a while to find pieces of bark that were big enough. The kids used acrylics to paint their masterpieces.
Keith (9 years old then) painted this mouse. The bark measures 3 inches tall.
My youngest daughter, Leslie, painted this bluebird for me. This painting is 8 inches tall. She was 11 that Christmas.
Keith had a knack for finding native orchids, and I called him my orchidontist. This ladies tresses orchid painting measures 16 inches tall.
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Date on the orchid painting shows they were done in 1984. That makes them almost 30 years old.
How can that be?
Posted by Vicki on February 3, 2013 at 7:45 am
This is a wonderful post.. how precious are those paintings? and I love your photos of the trees, I don’t think that we have that variety of birch her.
Posted by naturesnippets on February 3, 2013 at 9:09 am
It did hit me when I realized how old the paintings are. I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Posted by bayphotosbydonna on February 3, 2013 at 2:04 pm
What wonderful & creative nature art to still have from you children’s younger days! Beautiful! My, how time does fly by…….
Posted by naturesnippets on February 3, 2013 at 2:59 pm
It sure did hit me when I realized how old the paintings were. There are a lot of artists in my family.
Posted by New Hampshire Garden Solutions on February 3, 2013 at 7:09 pm
One of my favorite trees-and a great way to use its bark!
Posted by naturesnippets on February 3, 2013 at 8:33 pm
They sure are interesting trees. I don’t hike often where they grow.
Posted by orbphotog on February 4, 2013 at 1:01 am
Lovely painted memories. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by naturesnippets on February 4, 2013 at 9:28 am
Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Posted by Fossillady on February 7, 2013 at 4:26 pm
The peeling bark is amazing to me! A new discovery, so thank you for sharing! Love the kids artwork! Great Idea!
Posted by naturesnippets on February 7, 2013 at 8:35 pm
You’re welcome. Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it.