It was finally time for me to actually paint my moss onto the stencil. The place I ended up choosing was the Science class greenhouse, and Pete (the science teacher at Chewonki) seemed to be pretty pumped about adding a little beautification to the greenhouse. This location means that the moss will be growing indoors, and I can't wait to see how the actual growing process will turn out. The painting of the moss was actually a pretty messy process, and the clean-up took longer then expected. So, advice to any new moss art growers - prepare for a mess! It was a fun project to complete, and I'm extremely satisfied with my final result.

 
It was finally time to make the paint! I searched around online for a while until I uncovered a recipe that suited my taste. The recipe (below) I found was from the website, http://www.stencilrevolution.com/tutorials/how-to-make-moss-graffiti/ and this recipe was extremely helpful in the (cooking?) process. A big thanks to the Chewonki kitchen staff who not only allowed me to use their ingredients and appliances, but also helped me figure how to get around the massive kitchen! Also to get the moss, I found a solid clump growing on the trees outside Binnacle which was extremely practical. I followed the steps, and voila, the paint was born!
The Recipe:
*Two cups of buttermilk is also needed (Yogurt may be used as a substitute).
*1 half a teaspoon of sugar
*2 cups of water (beer may also be used instead),
*Blender
*Paintbrush
*Container for the finished product
*Corn syrup may also be needed in certain cases to increase the consistency

And of course, 2-3 handfuls/clumps of moss!
 
The next step on my list was to find a  habitat for the moss to grow. I had previously looked online for acceptable spots, but no "moss art" blogs stated how they chose their areas. My criteria included at least some access to sunlight and a not-to-dry environment. Also, I wondered (and still am wondering) if the moss will be able to grow indoors? Somewhere really warm? Cold? In the winter? I went and scouted around the Chewonki campus for some optimal spots, and here is a  slideshow of my investigation:
 
I have finally decided to start making the long-awaited moss art! As much as I would love to just start slapping paint onto a random wall right away, I must complete a long set of steps before I actually make the creation. One of the first steps is to make a stencil. For mine, I found bubble letters online that I liked, and traced them onto a poster board. Next, I went and took and exacto-knife to the board to trace the letters out as perfect as I could get them. This is the finished stencil below:

    About Me:

    Hi all! I'm a semester student at this amazing place called Chewonki, and I'm currently researching the impact of graffiti on the natural world.

    Archives

    Novembre 2013

    Categories

    Tous