So what is an arborglyph anyway? In a few words, it’s a tree carving. Petroglyphs are on rock, arborglyphs are on trees. And though correctly discouraged by botanists (carvings are literal wounds that often become infected and harm the tree), they continue to show up as sculptural graffiti in wooded spots everywhere, especially public parks and recreational areas that offer the seclusion necessary for time-consuming knifesmanship. No longer just initials captured in hearts and peace signs, there are some very clever, crafted and sometimes mysterious examples out there. Crude calligraphy included (see above).
I collect stuff like this - in photographic form. Things like spray-painted tags, yarn bombs, brick art, stencils, wheat paste posters, mosaic, asphalt writing, wet cement tagging, and a myriad of other public expressions of creativity. I love the simple surprise and delight of coming across these treasures during the course of my daily wandering. And since I always have a camera handy - cleverly disguised as a cellphone - there’s no reason not to take a shot and send them up to my own little piece of the cloud for future inspiration.
I’m not entirely sure why I do this. I guess it’s a comfort to me that someone is compelled to put something they made out there, anonymously (usually), and without compensation, to be discovered and enjoyed.
While we’re on the subject of trees, a few years ago I stumbled upon the carving above on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. It was tucked away next to an Irish Pub my friends and I had just been asked to leave (but that’s an entirely different story - something to do with an errant billiard ball and a bar mirror). Anyway, clearly this was more than a guerrilla act of wood carving, I dug around on the internet and found it was one of a group of carvings across the isle, dubbed Tree Spirits, created by local artist Keith Jennings. I didn’t have the time to search out the other spirits, but was heartened to know that the spirits were there watching over reprobates and fools.
And just last week while walking a trail with my wife, we discovered the object above tied carefully, but in a pretty non-obvious spot amongst the dune flora. You really had to be paying attention to see it. Constructed of seabird feathers, twigs and twine, it may be a rudimentary shuttlecock, or a reconstruction of a Native American shamanistic totem, or who knows? All I know is that I was delighted to come upon it, as I am with all these found masterpieces. So, keep your eyes open, as well as your mind - the whole world is a gallery.
