Discussion

The Japanese word for this week's painting subject, ginkgo tree, is ichō no ki (銀杏の木). Ginkgo is ichō (銀杏), and tree is ki (木). The no (の) brings the two together, resulting in ginkgo, a type of tree. I decided to add a woodpecker to my demonstration painting. See below for information about my model.

Ginkgo Tree

One way to classify trees is by their shape. The following illustration depicts common tree shapes.

Ginkgo trees are native to China and have been around for a very long time. Fossilized ginkgo leaves have been found that are 270 million years old. Ginkgos are resistant to disease and insects, attributes that help them to be very long lived; some say as much as 2,500 years.

It is not known when ginkgos were imported to Japan where they are considered to be symbols of peace, hope, and vitality, but cultivation of them has been going on since the beginning of Japan's recorded history. They are prized for their saffron yellow foliage in the fall. Besides being decorative, ginkgos are valued for medicinal and culinary purposes. Its seeds are eatable. Gingko Biloba, an over-the-counter dietary supplement, has been found to be modestly effective for treating Alzheimer's disease.

Ginkgo leaves:

A ginkgo-lined pedestrian area in Tokyo in the fall:

The  photo below is of a ginkgo-leaf covered area of the Nakasendō, one of the roadways connecting various parts of Japan that were maintained by the Tokugawa shōgunate during the Edo period. It runs 332 miles from Tōkyō to Kyōto.  Nakasendō literally means central mountain route. 

The ginkgo is Tōkyō's official tree, and a stylized version of the ginkgo leaf, seen below, is Tōkyō's official symbol. It appears on Tōkyō's flag on a white background.

The ginkgo tree appears in Japanese art, including numerous decorative fabric patterns.

A ginkgo bonsai:

A Rinpa school byōbu, "Ginkgo and Chrysanthemum"; artist unknown:

1908 ginkgo print; artist unknown:

Woodpecker

The great spotted woodpecker is the model for the one in my demonstration painting. It is common across the palearctic region of Europe and Asia, and is found in Northern Africa. Individuals are sometimes spotted in North America. It has black and white plumage and a red patch on its lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. In size, it is 8 to 9½ inches long and weighs 2½ to 3½ ounces. It has a 13 to 15 inch wingspan. Glossy white eggs are typically laid in batches of 4 to 6. Both parents share in egg sitting and raising chicks. They eat pine cone seeds, insect larvae, and eggs of other birds from their nests; chicks, too (ugh). 

The great spotted woodpecker has four talon-tipped toes and a very strong tail that to enables a firm grip on a tree trunk; the better to hammer a way through bark and wood to get to insect larva and carve out nesting holes. His tongue is twice as long as his beak to help him to more easily get at larva. The woodpecker skull is also specially adapted to withstand the rapid pounding it has to undergo. Scientists have studied it to enable them to design better protective helmets for humans; football players, for example.