Sculpting The Tree

Sculptor Damon Gray working on The Tree. Photo: Steve Platt

Our 60-foot-tall, almost-100-year-old red maple was dying. The insects were feasting on the wood, and the woodpeckers were feasting on the insects. From time to time, the tree would drop a mid-sized limb onto the ground beneath. It was time.

Rather than take down the entire tree (leaving a gaping physical and psychological hole in the backyard), we decided the tree should live on – in the form of art, a sculpture that would enhance our yard and (hopefully) provide pleasurable viewing for passersby. Robin sketched a vision of rebirth, and Steve engaged Damon Gray (chainsawfineart.com), a talented sculptor and wielder of artistic power tools, to realize the creation.

Last fall, Robin and Damon met to go over her design and discuss his thoughts on working with trees. They spent time walking around the dying maple, working out a three-way collaboration. Robin’s sketches provided the base philosophy and goal; Damon’s skill and artistic sense built upon her ideas; and the tree voiced itself, guiding a final realization through the flow of the wood in the trunk and limbs that would form the sculpture.

The Carving

The winter passed (no carving in freezing temperatures!). In late March, Damon returned to create the sculpture. He spent 12 days carving, using three different chainsaws as well as a variety of other sanding and sculpting implements. Now, the carving is complete. Staining and final sealing will take place in another week or so, now that the sculpture has had a chance to dry a bit.

The Tree can be seen from Oberlin Avenue in Swarthmore. Photo by Steve Platt.

Living With The Tree

Now that the days are warmer, we are starting to use our second-floor deck, which overlooks the sculpture-in-progress. Sometimes we stand outside and, as the sun traverses the sky, look with wonderment at the interplay of sunlight and shadows from other trees on its form.

In the mornings, the sun lights up the outreached branch (arm). The wood glows. The texture of the inner areas is darker and rougher, the more exposed parts lighter and smoother. Over the course of a day, each edge and surface has its moment. 

From a distance – from our deck or from the street – the vastness and depth of the cavities dominate.  Come closer, and the actual surface of the wood makes its statement. The outer shell shows the natural striping of the larger and finer grains of the maple.  While the outer shell is smooth, the inner core was carved to create long textured verticals (see photo below). We love the contrast between the two layers. The view is a constant delight whenever we are out on the deck or in the yard.

The Movie

Steve created a time-lapse movie of the entire carving process. He used his Canon Rebel T6i camera with a custom shutter controller to take over 90,000 individual pictures over 12 days. He then merged these into a single video below.

Public Art 

Photo by Steve Platt

Photo by Steve Platt

We are both supporters of public art. We enjoy walking around Swarthmore (and other towns) and viewing installations people have created solely for the purpose of public beauty. We hope you will come and see The Tree at 21 Oberlin Ave., Swarthmore. But please don’t traipse into the yard. The view from the driveway is quite nice!

The Tree is not the final name of the piece. That, too, is a work in progress. Robin has suggested Defiant Tree. Perhaps if members of the community have thoughts (send them to The Swarthmorean?), Ben Yagoda might run a survey: “The People’s Choice Name for The Tree”? We can’t promise we’d go with the winner, but we’d certainly consider it!