Notes on Ailanthus

I found Ailanthus altissima, the tree of heaven, compelling and I studied it in multiple ways. An ancient and successful plant, it grows very fast, thrives in distressed environments, and is difficult to eliminate. It has been very popular as well as feared illustrating some ridiculous group thinking in the public life of America. I used pieces of this history to make many art works in various media during the late 1970s. This excerpt was cut from a Super 8mm reel edited during 1978-9. Ailanthus trees may be a part of a solution in restoring the many disturbed landscapes people have created.