Tar Forest Footprint
by Revere La Noue
Title
Tar Forest Footprint
Artist
Revere La Noue
Medium
Painting - Paint, Tar, Photography, Ink
Description
The origin of the "Tar Heels" nickname is murky. Its roots run deep into North Carolina�s vast pine forests, which proved a critical resource in the production of tar. In the early 1800s, North Carolina was the world's largest producer of tar, most commonly used to waterproof ships. Tar seemed to be a growing part of the state�s identity when Walt Whitman wrote that the residents of North Carolina were referred to as �Tarboilers.�
During the American Civil War, North Carolina was flowing with boiling tar. As legend mixed with acts of battlefield heroics, the derisive term became a badge of courage; Tar Heels didn�t retreat. Tar Heels held their ground, as if they were stuck to it. In 1895, University of North Carolina students founded a newspaper called The Tar Heel. Gradually the moniker became used for all North Carolinians.
�North Carolina pine tar forests are an important visual element to this series. Dripping, splashing and stepping in a mix of tar and paint pigments, created lines that began to resemble the distinctive slender silhouettes of pine trees. In some pieces, I used watercolor, large format photography, and other translucent materials to portray the white sun burning through branches. This piece celebrates the natural gifts of North Carolina and the notion of holding one�s ground in the face of adversity. �
-Revere La Noue
Uploaded
February 5th, 2015
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