Sycamore Trees: The Human Connection
102" x 102" x 36" (Installation size)
Recycled and hand dyed wool, linen backing, wool fleece, batting, Sycamore branches.
Traditional rug hooking technique, needle felting.
On a cold, clear, winter day, I came upon a grove of Sycamore trees. They were the color of the chill one feels deep in the bones.
The American Sycamore Tree is easily distinguished from other trees by its bark. Because it lacks elasticity and cannot stretch to accommodate growth, the bark flakes off in irregular pieces, leaving the surface looking mottled. With increased age, these majestic trees become rough and scaly at the base, and the patterning disappears. High above however, where there is new growth, each branch displays it’s own unique pattern. The soft angles of the branches and rounded protrusions of growth resemble the human form.