Eco-friendly types have long thought of inventive ways to save trees. Hugging them, chaining themselves to them, singing songs about them. Painting them is possibly a new addition to that list.
However, this has not stopped Konstantin Dimopoulos, an artist from Melbourne, from grabbing a giant pot of blue paint and taking it to the trunks of Seattle's trees in an attempt to make us realise just how important they are.
Somewhat of a tree-painting pro, Dimopoulos has been covering the trees of Vancouver, Virginia and New Zealand, as well as his Melbourne hometown, in biologically safe pigmented water since 2005. The paint naturally degrades letting the trees return to their natural state over time.
Not before, however, the blue trees have made their mark. Why blue? Well as Dimopoulos explains on his website, "In nature colour is used both as a defensive mechanism, a means of protection, and as a mechanism to attract. The Blue Trees attempts to waken a similar response from viewers."
"Trees are largely invisible in our daily lives, and it’s not until it’s too late that we realise how important they are to us both aesthetically and environmentally. Each year an area at least the size of Belgium of native forests is cleared from around the planet."
One could even argue that the trees painted blue are far easier on the eye than those surrounded by hippies.
Dimopoulos will be bringing his tree-friendly paint to London in the future. We'll be watching out.