I think I hinted at my love of bare wood accented with bright colors in last week's post. Well, I wrote that post, and then I saw these. And then I almost fell out of my chair.
Artist Tracy Melton takes dead red and white Elm trees, cuts them into slices, and adds his own brightly-colored tree rings to them with acrylic paint. Each piece is sanded and clear coated 3 times to accentuate the wood, then painted and clear coated again. They are hollowed out from behind for mounting.
Each piece is a unique combination of the characteristics of the branch and the palette of the rings. I personally am a fan of the more irregularly-shaped slices. Sold in sets of three and available in various sizes, these paintings can stand alone or be combined to create an amazing statement on your wall.
Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.
