Methuselah
I often wonder how long a tree lives in a natural environment. Currently, the oldest living tree is a Great Basin Bristle Cone Pine called Methuselah. It is located in the "Forest of Ancients" in the Inyo National Forest in eastern California. Methuselah's exact location is undisclosed as a protection against vandalism.
As of 2011 Methuselah is 4,842 years old and estimated to have germinated in 2,832 BC. To give a sense of Methuselah’s age, I decided to “count” its age and translate it into a painting. I determined that each paint stroke should represent 100 days (over three months) in which Methuselah has lived. I am amazed how many strokes it took to paint the 4,842 years. |