GRANDMOTHER TREE

GRANDMOTHER TREE

Grandmother Tree sculpture

I love books and I also love to write. One of my sculptures inspired me to write my book, Grandmother Tree. She haunted me for a long time before she came to life. Finally she emerged from the clay, much like her predecessors. But this time, roots began to twist themselves around her base and in and around her hair. She begged for moss and tree lichen, for walnut halves, for raindrops. Her story came to me piece by piece as each bit of nature was added to her.

Grandmother Tree

The Trees are alive! She wandered into the garden early one morning and she heard them speak to one another..it was a language spoken on another frequency..in another vibrational time frame. They spoke of healing with power and energy and of the relationship between energy and matter.

She was drawn to an ancient Chinese Elm and as she leaned her body next to the base, somehow she felt immersed in the tree..she was one with the tree and knew that she was the tree!

Experiment:

Sit with your back against a grandmother tree..feel the energy..experience the unity..emerge a stronger person and thank her respectfully....

Story by Cheryl Dolby

Stories accompany all of my work. The story of my first grandmother tree is the story of each and every one of my grandmother trees. But they all seem to want to be different sizes. The first one was a tall standing figure. Next came the ones who wanted to cling to the walls, making the area around them come alive with nature. I sell a lot of the smaller ones now. It could be the economy, but I think it is more the fact that they are just so alluring with their flowing hair (I use horsehair taken from the tail) and driftwood bases.

Large wall Grandmother Tree. I liked this one so much that I used her as the first banner for my blog. I created her with stoneware clay for the face and bark for the base

Grandmother Tree book

This is what I say about my book. "Herein lies the wisdom of the ages revealed through magic gardens of times long forgotten..nostalgic days..vaguely reminiscent of when the treasures of the universe were first unleased. Upon completion, the Grandmother Tree on the front cover can be converted into a bookmark...this allowing the book to continue to live. All the pages are biodegradable and perforated for removal. Only the spine of the book will remain and that can be glued to create a flycatcher!"

I realize this is sort of funny. I published the book in 1992 and sold a great many copies, I suspect because of the story of the Grandmother Tree. Unfortunately, I have lost touch with the artists I featured with their various crafts. To make the book current so I could sell it again, I would have to edit it extensively to sell it again. Also, the book was supposed to be used for stationery, but in today's world, computers reign and not too many people sit down to write a lengthy letter. As a matter of fact, one of my grandchildren told me that she has never received a written letter, and she is 21! I must make it a point to write her a letter soon. If anyone reading this wants to know the story of the Grandmother Tree. I still have a few copies of the original version of the book. I will be glad to mail you one for $5.00 plus shipping. (The book sold originally for $18.00). Just e-mail me if you're interested. I have about 20 copies left.

The sculptures and the accompanying Grandmother Tree stories have continued to be among my best sellers. The Grandmother Tree I show at the top of this post is going to be featured at an art gathering we are having at Center In The Square in Roanoke on Thursday night, June 7th from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. It is a fun gathering that happens every first Thursday of the month. All the galleries in Roanoke are open all evening for patrons to view the art and to enjoy delicious food and wine. I hope many of you can make it. Deborah Goglia deserves a round of praise for bringing back to life the Center In the Square Gallery. We aren't sure what to call ourselves, but some have

Deborah has done a fabulous job of creating a unique gallery at Center in the Square

referred to us as "Center in the Squarians" -- much preferable to a suggestion from one artist that we are just "Squares." That is by no means true. There are many fine artists displaying their works at the gallery. I will be posting a story of how the evening goes on Friday. PS: I'll be bringing my Caesar Pasta Salad (and wine), and I will be featuring this recipe in a future post. Everyone loves it.