Trees as art

Paschale · February 10, 2007, 02:28:31 PM

Here in Grand Rapids, we've got a great botanical garden/sculpture museum. I always swing over there in the middle of winter a few times to try and feel like spring is here, since they are always sure to have dogwoods in bloom and the like. They also have a great tropical garden (with butterflies at the end of February) where I can imagine, at least for awhile, that I'm living like FDH and crtreedude. ;D

They have a very cool display right now, with a sculpture by an artist named Patrick Dougherty, who uses hardwood saplings in his sculptures.

His sculptures are incredible, and I wish everyone on the forum could see what he's done here in Grand Rapids. Very, very cool! I think anyone who enjoys being in the woods would enjoy seeing his work.

The best I can do is send you a link to his website, where you can see what he's done. It's very, very cool.

Here's what he says about his work:

"My affinity for trees as a material seems to come from a childhood spent wandering the forest around Southern Pines, North Carolina – a place with thick underbrush and many intersecting lines evident in the bare winter branches of trees. When I turned to sculpture as an adult, I was drawn to sticks as a plentiful and renewable resource. I realized that saplings have an inherent method of joining – that is, sticks entangle easily. This snagging property is the key to working material into a variety of large forms."

Coon · February 10, 2007, 03:13:38 PM

Very cool artwork indeed. I got lotsa sticks if ya run short. :D :D

jon12345 · February 10, 2007, 03:27:47 PM

That stuff is pretty neat, I wonder if he ever lets kids play on it :D

Paschale · February 10, 2007, 04:14:17 PM

He said in the video that this is art meant to be touched, as opposed to everything else in the gallery. You can tell the guy likes to have fun, and I think he wants kids to be sucked into what he does. Everyone in the gallery had a smile on their face, and I'm definitely going to try and get my nieces and nephews over there. You couldn't really climb on it, but he has all kinds of windows, and passageways that would make a kid have a lot of fun.

sprucebunny · February 11, 2007, 06:41:43 AM

That's cool !

Reminds me of the grapevine 'hut' we found as kids ;D

Norm · February 11, 2007, 10:01:49 AM

Many years ago we had a specialty semi show up to haul an ultrasound system for us, United van lines. Driver came in and said you'll never believe what I've got on my truck, it's an elephant made out of grapevines. Sure enough he had a life size elephant and baby made out of grapevines, took up half of his trailer. We got to laughing about it and the driver commented on how much it was insured for. $25,000! I don't remember where he was hauling it but it was amazing how life like it looked.