Wood ash can be used, but it rubs off easily. And because it's carbon structures in degradation, some organisms will thrive on it. Ink penetrates a bit deeper since it dissolves a lot better in water.
I used to hate whitewashed trees, until I started obtaining junipers, and large quantities of them too. Now I adjusted my taste (or it adjusted/evolved itself), because I wanted to know what makes it appealing and how to do that myself.
I still think some people over do it, the same goes with deadwood. I can put my own taste aside thankfully, and judge combined executions instead of just the individual elements. There are a lot of designs I would never want in my garden, but they are good designs nonetheless.
Same goes for almost every art form; I don't like some tribal tattoo styles, but I (and everyone else) can see if the artist has done a good job. If the lines are squiggly and the coloring fades all over the place, then it's poorly done. If it's tight lines, sharp edges and solid coloring, I still can judge it as a well executed piece of work even though I think it's ugly as hell.