Bored artists paint dead tree red

The red painted tree can be seen by motorists using the M25

A pair of artists in Surrey have painted a dead oak tree bright red just for something to do.

Christian Hayes and Jon Bauer used 35 litres of emulsion in their quest to change the colour of the tree, just off the M25 junction for Reigate.

The tree was painted last weekend in what was described by Mr Bauer as a "rebellion against boredom".

The artwork was done with the help of a mounted platform after the farmer who owns the land gave his approval.

Now it's done, I think it looks absolutely marvellous Richard Kent, farmer

Mr Bauer said: "We've both always had an obsession with these beautiful old trees and it just occurred to us that it might be quite interesting to paint one."

He said they had a tussle over what colour to paint the tree, which died some time ago, and had considered pink or blue.

Farmer Richard Kent said when he was first approached by the pair he wondered what they had wanted to do it for, but decided to give them his support because they were artists.

"Now it's done, I think it looks absolutely marvellous," he said.

The two artists said they were now looking for other dead trees to paint.