Crazy Palm Painting Art Project

[NickfromWI]

I know some of you already saw this on facebook- but it's too good to not share with everyone!

So we got wrapped up in this big art project. An artist from france wanted to paint this old delapidated hotel, top to bottom, inside and out. They've done stuff like this before- but there's 4 big palms on the property that they didn't have the ability to climb. That's where we stepped in!

It all went down yesterday. Check out these crazy pictures...

 

[stig]

Cool!

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Crazy. Cool.

Whose buckets?

I've not seen a lattice with hydraulics. I've seen one lattice boom with cables, locally.

 

[NickfromWI]

The buckets ended up being a ...situation.

When I was first contacted, I told them- "you don't need us. You need bucket trucks. This is a 2 day job with 4 climbers. This is a 1 day job with 1 bucket truck. MAYBE 2 days with 1 bucket. Just financially, this is bucket work, not climber work."

They insisted that they wanted to work done by climbers. Artistically speaking, they wanted it done by MAN power. Low visual presence on the street. Focus on the project, not the machines. Fair enough- I can dig that.

I bid it as a 2 day job and we literally spent months planning with them.

Last week they ended up getting 2 bucket trucks donated. We started working yesterday. First climber started working, then FINALLY they were like- what if we have YOUR next climber just use the bucket truck that is just sitting there.

Gee...you think?

So we finished the day in buckets.

There are 2 trees to do still. They're doing them with bucket trucks. We have our crew working on some other stuff today.

The trucks were from WCA- west coast arborists- one of the BIGGEST tree companies around. They get all the municipal contracts and stuff like that.

We spent months working with the artist's team planning for this. Countless meeting, phone calls, emails, texts. It was really exhausting honestly. Then WCA comes in at the last minute and does what I said should've been done from day 1.

Best part- ABC news is coming today to film, interview, do news stuff....so luckily we won't be there to be part of being on TV to show off the all the hard work we put into the project. Lovely.

Neat project- but they screwed it up for whoever calls asking for similar art related projects in the future.

 

[NickfromWI]

Also worth mentioning- we had a 5 person crew, plus me...4 climbers in total ready to go all day yesterday. We never had more than 1 person actually working at a time. Well- there was ten minutes when the team cleaned up some dead palm fronds- but other than that, we all just stood around watching all day. It's so weird to be on a jobsite and see that.

 

[pigwot]

Tres bien les monsieurs. L' artiste Francais, non?

I would rather do Date Palm prunes than be anywhere near flour-based painting... air-borne death for someone with Celiac Disease!

 

[NickfromWI]

There was gluten EVERYWHERE

 

[cory]

Interesting project. Will it harm or kill the trees?

 

[MasterBlaster]

What? You painted the palms white?

 

[woodworkingboy]

Is the artist that Cristo (something like that) dude, the person that made the fence in Northern Cali and wraps islands for fun? I think he was European, at least. The fence was really something, went on and on undulating through the area, whacky and cool.

 

[gf beranek]

What's it do to the trees?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Yes... I'm curious about that, too.

 

[NickfromWI]

I would put big money that it will do nothing of harm to the palms. The paint is made of a natural substance. It barely adheres to the slick surfaces of the leaf. Not only that- Mexican fan palms are so tough- you could cut off all the leaves except the panicle and the whole thing will sprout right back like nothing happened.

Their team got letters of support from me, the top municipal arborist for the city of Los Angles (George Gonzales), Don Hodel- world renown palm expert and author of several palm ID and palm disease books- and a few others.

More importantly- the property was purchased very recently by developers who will be demolishing the building and putting up multi-use condos. You can guess what's likely to occur to the palms through that process anyways.

The artist is Vincent Lamouroux. I'll get his website. He's done some neat stuff.


love
nick

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Very eeeinteresting.

 

[pantheraba]

hahaha...you really are in LA LA land out there...crazy stuff you get into, Nick!!

I love it.

 

[NickfromWI]

I know. File this one under "never woulda happened in WI!"


love
nick

 

[stig]

Christo is Bulgarian.
My personal favourite of his works is when he wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin.

 

[bstewert]

Do you have any pics from farther back?

 

[NickfromWI]

No but I'll get some this week!


love
nick

 

[NickfromWI]

Here's one I found on Facebook




love
nick

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Cwazy...llol

 

[bstewert]

Nick, Where is that, and how long do they plan to leave it? I'm going to be down there this summer and will do a drive-by.

 

[NickfromWI]

Please no more drive bys in LA! Lol

It's on Sunset. Specifically

Sunset Pacific Motel 4311 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles‎ CA‎ 90029
United States

The property is owned by developers that will be eventually leveling everything to build condos. The trees may be coming down anyways.


love
nick

 

[bstewert]

OK, I'll get out and look, as long as no one charges me $1 to walk by!

http://la.curbed.com/tags/sunset-pacific-motel

 

[NickfromWI]

Here's a great faraway pic I took today




love
nick