Beaver Backers paint trees to protect furry friends FARGO-Michelle Peterson dips her paintbrush into a mixture of eco-friendly paint and sand and slathers it on a tree in Trefoil Park in north Fargo.

I once asked an artist I know what he did about varnishing his oil paintings. I had read about "varnishing day" at the great salon exhibits in Paris in the 19th century and wondered what it was like ...