By Carol Felixson,
Special to The Times


Humans may not have been around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, but this tree was. It’s called Ginkgo biloba (pronounced GINGK-go bi-LO-ba) and it is one of the few plants that date to prehistoric times.

Also called the maidenhair tree, the ginkgo has green, fan-shaped leaves that turn bright yellow and then drop to the ground in fall and winter. Sometimes the green leaves are banded with yellow stripes.

The apricot-like seeds from the female ginkgo tree can be baked are considered a delicacy. They taste like a cross between potatoes and sweet chestnuts. But beware: if left to rot, the fruit has a horrible smell.

After studying the ginkgo, Riley, 7, used an impasto technique to illustrate it. In impasto, a thick layer of paint is spread on a surface with a palette knife, craft stick, or a bristle brush in short heavy strokes.

The heaped up paint ridges give a sparkling 3D effect. “They look a little bit like the fluffy icing on a cake,” Riley explained. Impasto works well with oil, acrylic, or thickened tempera paints. Artists known for their impasto painting include Degas and Van Gogh.

Riley first gathered the materials she would need and covered her workspace with newspapers. She drew her picture on illustration board, then used the impasto technique to paint the bark of the tree trunk, the branches and a close-up of a leaf.

Good job, Riley!


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Carol Felixson
Director of Education/Community Outreach
UCLA Stunt Ranch Reserve &  Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden
310 206-3887, nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt.html, www.botgard.ucla.edu
LA Times Science/Art Lessons for Kids: http://nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt/newsforkids.html

Contributing to the understanding and wise management of the Earth and its natural systems


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