Spirits of the Tree

[avad]

Took another beautiful walk today- this time with a specific destination in mind-to visit a big strange (2
faced/headed) tree I had seen before...



to photograph and sketch it and pay
homage. In India, growth forms like that would be revered as signs of a
goddess/gods... whole villages making shrines around them, painting them,
adorning them with flowers, making puja offerings, etc. I find that SO
beautiful/moving somehow. I really wanted rub oil on the 'faces', (like I've
seen in one of my favorite photo books-BEAUTIFUL flash website here: Meeting God:Elements of Hindu Devotion), and I even brought some fragrant lavender/sandalwood oil with me...but there was too much
bark and lichen attached so I didn't. Photographed and sketched it instead. It was the only way I
could avoid looking toooooo odd staring and Being with this tree for so
long as people and cars went by.;)

Comments

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

The gramadevata reminds me of the genius loci. I had fun picturing you pay devotion to that tree. The flash animation took a while to download, but was worth the wait.

burls

[sibyllam.livejournal.com]

They are called burls on redwood and other Sequoia trees here in the West. I'm guessing they'd be called the same there. Anyway, out here there are places (mostly State and National park gift shops) that actually sell them. They cut them off the trees and sell them. If you put them in water, then a new tree will sprout from it. In the forest, if the tree is damaged severely (fire, drought, lightening, etc.) to the point of death, then the burls become active naturally.

Re: burls

[avad.livejournal.com]

ooh now would that mean that large tree parts would grow out possibly horizontally? I've always wondered about low thick horizontal 'sitting' branches I've seen on some huge trees.

Re: burls

[sibyllam.livejournal.com]

The ones I've seen in the forest in Mendocino grow out a little bit, but then take a sharp turn to grow upward. I think it's really fascinating that the "new" tree grows out of the "old" tree and even uses it's existing root system.

[solarfields.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting that Meeting God flash site ... it was beautiful.

I absolutely adore trees, they amaze me. I used to have a tree I "visited" on a regular basis, and there's a tree standing over my mother's gravestone which I find comforting.. like someone old and wise watching out for her. I don't know anything about trees though!

[avad.livejournal.com]

same here. I think I might look into it more. I love driving or walking around 'tree conscious'...it's like these wise patient beings are all about who have seen these spaces and places change so over years and years....as we rush about feeling as if everything was only born when we were.
that's wonderful that one is right beside your mom's gravestone.:)

[jothoma.livejournal.com]

what a wonderful tree...

OH NO NOT BURL FACES!

[captainbigwig.livejournal.com]

I remember way back in HS our shop teacher got annoyed with the burl on the tree and cut it off. He brought it in to class and made it into a bowl on the lathe.

A neighbor carved them into faces. After that people were carving faces in to tree stumps in our neighborhood. Though they last maybe 5 yr before the termites get to them.

I just saw your website I love your topograhic artwork! It's so unique and original.

PS How is southampton? I've never been out there yet i live in lindenhurst.

Re: OH NO NOT BURL FACES!

[avad.livejournal.com]

I think I've seen a bowl made out of a burl- quite beautiful actually if I remember correctly.

That's hysterical about all the carved faces- must've been odd to come across!All gone now?

Thanks for checking out my art!:)Glad you like. I'm getting ready to do more resin/mapping pieces now that the weather is warm (need high temps for the resin).

Southampton...well, I love it. I was born in the Bronx, we moved to Ronkonkoma when I was young and I grew up there, then came out here for college. Liked it but had to tried living in Queens, Lousiana and upstateNY before deciding I had to come back out here. Came back and I think I'm settled for good in this area.I love all the farm fields and the bay and the ocean. Gets a little crazy in summer when all the summer holiday people invade..but it's also fun to have that energy change with the seasons and meet people from all over the world. REALLY beautiful in fall and superquiet in winter.Suits my personality whch likes to fluctuate between hibernation/hermitting and being social.You should definitely take a day trip...!:)

FARMS!?!

[captainbigwig.livejournal.com]

I think there is still one house with the face stump, and another who just debarked his for sheer fun.

Are the synthetic resins really noxtious? I know the mixes are quite expensive for 1/2 gallon :(

The empathy box are all those bumps hammered down nails? And the drops of dew on the wire is that resin also?

I'm a similar relocator, born in brooklyn and moved out to lindenhurst. I moved to brooklyn after college for 6 months and returned here because the air and odor is just fresher and easier to breath.

Oh I'll definitle visit and try my attempt to see montauk too :)

Re: FARMS!?!

[avad.livejournal.com]

hehe. yup, we've got lotsa farms!:) B even worked on one for a while. Vineyards too and just some nice open fields, especially around Bridgehampton.

yeah, resin is pretty toxic.:( that's why I only like to work with it when I can practically be outdoors (garage door wide open). I have a special respirator too, though i need new filters and could use a new one. I used to use 'Liquid Glass' which I loved...but over time, exposure to UV rays makes it yellow so I eventually had to upgrade to an even more expensive stuff:(- it's called Crystal Clear 2000 and I get it from The Compleat Sculptor in NYC. Do you work with resin?

Let's see...empathy box- yep, those are hammered down nails amongst sand texture...and the connected points are upright nails with resin on the heads....and yep,the drops on the monofilament are resin.:)

Re: FARMS!?!

[captainbigwig.livejournal.com]

the north fork has alot of vineyards, but I didn't see any farms on the way to the orient point ferry. We use to have tons of farms in the melville and farmingdale area, but they all sold out to TOWN House developments.

I use to be a closet custom action figure builders, where you would talke broken figures and parts and rebuild and repaint them. Some guys I knew were good with castings in plastics. Though they offset the cost for the materials buy casting replacement parts.

Strangely I've found myself drawn back to plastics in the forms of LEGOS. no not more plastic in brick form!