A Bamboo Inspired Oil Painting and A Walk Through A NJ Bamboo Forest

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(Edited)

When Some People Think Bamboo ..

They think tropical location. I for one do not. Where I live, here in Southern New Jersey (USA), we often see patches of bamboo growing here and there. If I travel any distance during the coarse of my day, I see this stuff growing in patches along side the road. It's an odd thing to see it so far north, where it can get extremely cold and snow is likely. I always knew what it was, but never really asked myself why it was or how it could grow here.

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A Few Years Back ..

I painted this 8 inch by 12 inch oil on canvas, of sunlight shining through the bamboo. There is something very calming and often mysterious about spending time in the middle of a bamboo grove. My wife and I have spent some time hiking while on vacation (tropical destinations). Sometimes those hikes lead through a stand of bamboo. It's awesome looking up through its strangely different canopy. If you get a chance, and are near a stand of bamboo, do yourself a favor and venture into it, until you are certain your alone. Close your eyes for a few moments then open them. You may find that your worries are suddenly replaced with childhood fantasies of escaping reality.. or maybe that's just me and my memories of how I longed to play in the bamboo near my home. Either way, my memories of vacations as well as having the chance to go into a bamboo forest in my home town, again stirred up inspiration and imagination.

On May 24, 2018 ..

I posted about the bamboo growing here in New Jersey. I accumulated roughly 5 votes that totaled a whooping .04 Steem Power. I thought this was a good time to re-submit part of that post since it goes so well with this painting.

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Here In New Jersey ..

We sometimes fight bitter winter cold and heavy snowfall .. (head scratch) At least that is what I thought many years ago. I thought this was completely STRANGE. I soon became accustom to seeing this practically anywhere on my travels ..

Chinese Bamboo

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So this is how it went down today ..

I'm on a job this morning (my day job) and I take notice of some Bamboo lining the driveway and spreading through the edge of the forest. I always see it but never take the time to investigate it any further than catching a glimpse of it while driving. I'm thinking to myself, "self, is this stuff invasive in New Jersey?". I literally see it popping up all over the place as I drive around the state.

Well, THAT'S IT! Today I am going to walk over and look at this plant. I strolled on down the lane from which I arrived, to take a quick peek at this Bamboo grove. I noticed that the establishment was quite large. I would ballpark it at roughly an acre of area. As I intertwined through the (now) Bamboo forest, I quickly observed that nothing was growing under its thick canopy. At first I was in awe and thought "this is COOL!" What I wouldn't of given for a chance to play in this fort like forest as a child.

Before I go on, let me share some photo's I took today. I'm sorry if some appear hazy. I really must clean the iPhone camera lens ...

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This is the look up the driveway bordering the edge of the forest. The Bamboo seems to be spreading but not into the areas with no other plant life.

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Most of the cluster were not super dense. I could somewhat easily navigate through the shoots.

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I saw lots of new shoots protruding from the ground. The shoots had no leaves as of yet and were all roughly 1 to 3 feet high

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Here is a close up of the new Bamboo shoot. You can see where the leaves are starting to sprout out

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This stuff is no joke. Some of the old dead shoots, like this one, had a rough diameter of 5-6 inches. This one pictured here was probably more like 3" and had a height of roughly 20 to 30 feet.

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A look into the Bamboo forest. You will notice some ground cover in this picture. There were patches of it here and there.

Now back to the story...

Then almost as suddenly as I thought this was so COOL, I started to think about the potential of this plant being invasive.

If you perform an internet search for "Why isn't Bamboo on the New Jersey invasive plant list?" Most likely you will encounter the New Jersey's Invasive Species Strike Team website found here NJISST explains that Bamboo spreads slowly by way of rhizomes. To be considered for listing as an invasive species, the plant would have to have quick and spontaneous spreading characteristics similar to Knotweed or Phragmites (a fancy name for common reed)

Japanese Knotweed - Source

What do you think this guy is looking for in that jungle mess??

Common Reed or .. The tongue twister .. Phragmites

Source

Both of these plants I see on a daily basis littered throughout the South Jersey landscape. Fast spreading characteristics such as through seed or plant fragment would increase Bamboos chance of being considered invasive. So for now it doesn't pose a true threat due to it's slow creeping nature.

I guess the moral to the story is, take the time to explore your surroundings. If you don't know the answer to that question you've been pondering.. look it up. I'm kinda glad I did.

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

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All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

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About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

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Pepper with Molly's old baby in his mouth.. Shame on you Pepper for stealing Molly's baby! Oh trust me, he knows what he's doing. He knows we will cahse him around for it so he made a game out of it :-)

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“Dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame. I should have a dog as a life coach.” – Moby

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41 comments
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I had no idea bamboo can grow so up north. I was convinced it grew only in the tropics. Never too late to learn!

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I know! Crazy right??!! Kind of cool .. tat stuff seems pretty hardy to tolerate the cold, snow and ice.

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The painting looks cool and lively as sunlight shines on it.
Good job friend. 8 years and works still looks fresh.

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Thank you!! I spray all my works with Grumbacher fixative. Keeps the colors from fading and keeps the overall look from turning yellow from UV light and oxidation. Time flies!

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Congratulations @bdmillergallery!

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SWEET!!! Thanks @jaynie and my fellow PHC family members for the support and love :-) SO HAPPY!! HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

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It grows well here (in central France) too. Gets to -10degrees C (sometimes lower than that) in the winter but it thrives just fine

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Isn't that something? I even think it's still growing when it's nice and cold. haha. Thanks for supporting me!

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Pretty interesting. I wouldn't have guessed bamboo grows in NJ, as I always thought it a tropical plant. Learn something new everday!

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Me too! That's the cool thing about waking up and getting my butt out of bed.. I am most likely going to learn something whether I want to or not. Some things I think I wish I hadn't .. hahahaha

Thank you for supporting me!

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Lovely delicate painting of the bamboo.

WE have a invasive plant growing here on the property called Elephant Ears because of the size of the leaves (probably not the correct name). Itlooks like the photo you have of the Knotweed and has a bamboo like stalk, huge leaves and blooms in summer. It looks great but will soon take over if not kept constantly in check.

Haha, Pepper knows he is being naughty.

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Oh Pepper is always being the snoop or naughty one, but we appreciate his sense of curiosity and boldness. Elephant Ears! They sell them at the garden centers around here, but I think people plant them every year because of they die off from the extreme cold. I know what plant your talking about.

Thanks for the compliment on the painting and Thanks for supporting me!

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Fascinating. I would have never guessed bamboo could grow in NJ.
Bamboo can be a pain in the ass. When my father retired from the national guard he bought a small cocoa hacienda along a river. It was infested with bamboo. It took him years to get rid of those so that he could plant more productive crops.

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Wow.. I can't even imagine how frustrated he was. It can be extremely hard to get rid of.

a small cocoa hacienda along a river

Sounds Wonderful
Thank you for supporting me :-)

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Really enjoyed reading this post @bdmillergallery. I vaguely recall seeing bamboo patches in the vicinity of Yorktown, Virginia, while visiting there a few years ago. And the thought of whether or not they were native species does occur to us, as they seem out of place.

Do you know why nothing grows underneath them?

Out here where I live, we have an invasive species. Called the "Russian Olive." You definitely don't walk through a patch of them. They have some very nasty, long thorns. If you want to "take it on" and attempt to eradicate it, you have your work cut out. It is really invasive ...

Which leads one to wonder whose bright idea was it to "introduce" these plants in the first place? There are many, many stories I have heard over the years about this being done. Both with plants, as well as animals. Surprising how many of them "go south" due to unintended consequences, i.e. these people as not as "bright" as they perhaps originally thought ...

Wish you could send me some of the dead canes. They would be perfect for our Back to Eden gardening, to stake up our tomatoes ...

Have a great day "over there!"

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Thank you and I am happy that the post was interesting to you. I don't know why very little grows under its canopy.. Shade and lack of water most likely. "Russian Olive" sounds nice, almost like a drink. I'll keep away from it if I am ever over "there".. haha. States and the Federal Government are always introducing things for one reason and they never seem to do what was intended. I don't know how anyone thinks they can predict how the introduction of a foreign species will react to it's new environment. But they do it anyway and then that species is causing additional problems, on top of the one that still exists. haha.. They should just ask us .. We have all the answers!

I'll send some bamboo stakes your way.
You should be getting them any day now :-D

Thanks for the support!!

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That dude in that Knotweed mess is looking to try to find his bamboo! 😂

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Here in rotterdam we have two pandas in the zoo and i watched a documentary about bamboo and i know that its used for so many thing even floor. Loved that we always get our pepper or molly ending photo,
Have a great weekend

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(Edited)

Yes! What would a post be without Pepper and Molly!!! hehe. Thanks for noticing. Pandas are so neat to watch. I like the look of Bamboo floors but they don't match our style in this house. Maybe our next home :-)
Thanks for always supporting me and have a great weekend too!!!

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Bamboo is truly amazing isn't it? I love it's beauty as well as it's place as a resource for us. In fact I have bamboo sheets which are amazing. I see Pepper is looking very guilty here, lol Those eyes give it all away, lol

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Oh Poor Pepper.. He must get better at hiding his guilt :-D
Bamboo sheets??!! Never heard of them.. cool. I'll have to look for them.

Thanks for the support!!!

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Very nice post, I'm glad you recycled the work and got more eyes on it! Love the bamboo painting and Pepper is a real cutie!

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Awwww.. Thank you :-) Pepper is a cutie and I think he milks it for all it's worth too.. hehe.

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Although we are close to the ocean, we are next to the cold Atlantic ocean and so we are not in a tropical zone. Yet bamboo grows freely on some of the wine farms. I suppose it can adapt to any weather occasions.
A great post here my friend.
Blessings!

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Nice. I live on the Atlantic Ocean as well.. Just a different part of it. Water temps are in the low 40degF right now. You won't see me in there but I do see surfers all year round braving the chill.

Thanks! Thank you for the support!!

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Oh yeah, I only walk knee deep in the ocean my friend and the surfers all wear those black rubber type body suits.
I think your end is even colder than ours, but that the African sun at 95degF on a "cool" day is a bit worse than at your end.
So be it Selah!
Blessings!

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That's a lot of bamboo trees. You can see them almost anywhere in our country and the shoots are cooked into some sort of vegetable dish here. Love the painting.

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Thanks! Maybe I'll go and get some to cook! haha.. probably a different type. Thanks for the support :-)

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I live in the tropics and we are not short with bamboos. Growing up, our grandfather, which is actually our neighbor, has a bamboo in their yard. So being near a bamboo tree would really bring back those childhood memories I have in their yard. 😊

Thank you for sharing this @bdmillergallery.

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Thank you for taking the time to check it out! Sounds cool.. like a bamboo fort in your neighbors yard to play in. That would be fun! Good childhood memories :-)

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Hi @bdmillergallery. You created a lovely painting of the bamboo. I also like your pictures of the bamboo where they grow in your state. Didn't realize it grew in New Jersey. Thanks for the additional information about this invasive plant.

I live in Texas. Although there is one species native to parts of Texas, the bamboo isn't normally a native species here. I remember growing up, my parents called it "cane". There were several areas we would visit in Southwest Texas where bamboo would be lined along with rural highway where creeks ran.

Later in life I learned one kind of bamboo here is called "running". It is extremely invasive and can literally push anything out of its way.

Appreciate your sharing this information.

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Yeah, I know. It through me for a loop when I thought about it. Very interesting about the types you have there in TX. It's very soothing to look at, I'll give it that. Invasive though for sure!

Thank you for your support :-)

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