My first attempt at wood carving came from a fallen tree in my backyard...that I was too cheap to have hauled away...LOL!
Had I not explored the possiblities...I would never have known that...
this african woman with her baby in tow,
was trapped deep inside the wood of this wondrous tree...
Spirit is always speaking...we just have to learn to listen!
'Ascend' was another submission to the Los Angeles Arborteum & Botanical Garden show.
It depicts a man and a woman climbing upwards. The man is assisting the woman ascend.
The LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
is a collection of gardens for preservation developed from rare and exotic plants from all over the world.
Located at 301 N. Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia, California, the Arboretum is a wondrous natural beauty that attracts tourists year round.
Artists were invited to participate in an open call to create art from rare storm damaged trees, in a show entitled:
LA County Arboretum 'Forces of Nature' Exhibit.
The unveiling and auction that followed took place on December 1-3, 2012. More than $20,000 was raised from the auction as well as income for the artists.
Swamp Mahogany Tree
'Curious'' was my contribution to the show. It depicts a child peering through a natural hole in a tree stump. It was created from the deep reddish-brown wood of a Eucalyptus Robusta, commonly known as the swamp mahogany tree: also called Blue Gum Mahogany.
Native to Eastern Australia, the swamp mahogany is a fast growing, winter-flowering tree that can grow 65-100 feet tall, with a trunk up to 3 feet in diameter and a long life span of at least 200 years. The swamp mahogany leaves are also a food staple for the native Australian koala bears.
I wanted to preserve as much of the tree as possible by maintaining the bark and original features.
I envisioned that at some point in the lifetime of this tree, a curious little boy must have played there....
