Looking More Like a Tree

Here are the most recent photos of the "Recycled Avocado Tree." I have the majority of the main branches in place and am continuing to add smaller and smaller attachments. I have begun applying avery wire to the outside of the trunk and continuing to add it to the branches. Items will be sewn onto the avery wire to fill in areas that can been seen through, add texture, and blend the colors of the "bark" so that it resembles the grey tone of real avocado trees. Branches holding the leaves and avocados will be assembled to the avery wire using coat hangers.

Adding Branches

Here are a few more photos of the tree as it is accumulating more trash and branches.

I have been closely observing avocado trees and their structure. The trunks can be very large and are usually stumped to keep the size contained and from getting the tree to grow too large. For the sake of the structure of the tree I have decided to keep the trunk thick and sturdy as the tree grows in height. The trunk can split off in different directs and the branches are much thinner with lots of small arms coming off the main branches. The main and smaller branches reach up to the sky while the branches that hold the fruit drop vertically, weighted down by the avocados. The leaves splay in all directions up the entirety of the branches. The bark is a rather well blended grey tone with hints of white, brown, and black.

Beginnings of the Tree

Here are a few photos of the very beginnings of the "trash tree"

Here I have started with the base and the basic structure of the tree trunk. Materials used so far are a couple wooden pallets, a stool, a space heater, and a 5 gallon water jug. Now time for some branches!

Recycled Avocado Tree

For this year's Avocado Festival in Fallbrook, CA, I have the great pleasure of creating a recycled avocado tree sculpture in which participants in the community and festival will be encouraged to decorate their own leaves and avocado fruits for the sculpture. In the end, the sculpture will stand as the "Fallbrook Family Tree."

Trash donations are needed for the sculpture!

Here is my "trash collecting" method. As you can see it doesn't take up a lot of space in the house. After the collection bags are full I just transfer them to a larger trash bag or bin in the garage.

Recycled Metal Christmas Tree

This is a recycled Christmas tree made to display Christmas ornaments in the in the 2011 Winter Show at the Fallbrook Art Center. The base is an old metal spoke for a tractor or trailer found at the Vista blacksmithing studios. The "trunk" is a 3/4" diameter metal conduit pole. The branches are made of metal poles of gradated sizes used for laying concrete sidewalks. With all the pieces welded together, you have yourself a Christmas Tree!

Fallbrook Art Center Winter Window Display

This is the window display done for the Fallbrook Art Center during their 2011 Winter Arts Show. All of the materials are either found, or donated. Butcher paper was used to cover the back wall to increase the "wintery" mood. Fallen tree branches were collected and cemented into paint buckets for display. Shredded paper shavings were used as "snow." The wreaths and lights were donated for use in the window.

OC Arts Center Recycled Arts Project

I was looking back on some projects done in the past and wanted to share them with you. In April of 2011 a group of volunteers for the OC Arts Center set up a booth with a free arts activity for children and parents to work on together at the San Juan Capistrano 50th Anniversary Celebration Festival. In honor of the great  city's anniversary, our project became a small-scale model of old town San Juan Capistrano and the mission made out of recycled and refurbished materials donated by supporters of the OC Arts Center. The volunteer team made an outlined map of the city on a 4' x 8' piece of particle board. We cut cardboard into uniform pieces that could easily be pieced together to make a building. We also used native floral arrangements supported by floral foam donated from a local nursery. Many "trash" items were used including egg cartons, bamboo curtains, beans and birdseed, sponges, plastic cups, and other common household items. This activity educated the children about the importance and usefulness of considering recyclable items and junk as potential materials for art, along with the value of community and togetherness. By working together with all sorts of members of the community a beautiful, unique, and highly creative sculpture was made of historic downtown San Juan Capistrano. The kids loved it, we nearly ran out of space for all the buildings, cars, and trees that were being made. Check out the photos below to see how it evolved.