The Learning Tree

On the north side of the Catholic Central S.S. property is 'The Learning Tree'. This carving is one stop on the London Tourism sponsored Tree Trunk Tour. It is a visually dense creation, converting an old tree trunk into a nostalgic trip back to all of the most familiar elements of primary and secondary school.

The sculpture is a very short walk from three other Tree Trunk Tour stops. One block to the south an you can see 'CCH Crusader' and 'Shining Brightly'. One block east is 'Rising Up On Eagle's Wing's'. If you want one stop to see what kinds of things the tour has to offer, I would recommend this as a place to start.

Clicking on any of the pictures will display the full sized version.




Shall we begin our look at the interesting elements on this trunk? Remember, this is all done with power carving tools, mostly chainsaws. From the bottom, we have the alphabet and some crayons. There is a lot of painted on "spot colour", as with the crayons, and it does set the piece apart from some other carvings on the tour.










Another side of the trunk, reminding us of the values taught early in the school system. Love is also represented by the painted heart. Robbin Wenzoski created this work, and on his original website (which now has some technical issues with the pictures), he talked about deciding what elements of learning to include. He didn't leave out much.





The picture on the left shows the south side. I find it interesting that the natural burl in the tree has been left intact. This is also the spot for the official Tree Trunk Tour plug, with the sponsorship logo. The pic on the right shows the north side, where the title is displayed in the same font as the other lettering on the carving. Lots of school related bits are carved in around the two larger elements.

Moving up near the top of the tree trunk, we get a few add-on pieces. I think these really add to the dimension of the sculpture here, though I would suppose a purist may not appreciate wood not from the original tree. I am a practical person. This violin looks great.














And this microscope is my favorite bit. Imagine, going out to the workshop, firing up your machinery and sculpting out a microscope. Just thinking of that on a to do list makes me smile. 'Carve microscope out of wood block.'

The topmost add-on is a mortar board, and a diploma. Some really delicate looking work here to get the curl of the paper diploma.









The other message, delivered in the form of a rebus, is the artist asking the viewer to "Listen to your heart." Not a lesson on any school curriculum, but something that we might want to learn as early as possible in life.

The artist's signature is the block letter RAW ART logo, from Robbin Wenzoski, and the date (not pictured) is 2007. The overall condition of the carving is quite good, without any excessive cracking. The original stain has peeled off in a lot of places, and it may need maintenance in the near future.




There is a wise old owl atop 'The Learning Tree'. I didn't foresee how much looming he would be doing in this shot, but I present it as it was taken.

Looking for more art like this? Well try these links -



Return to the Tree Trunk Tour Overview Page

Check out all the entries using the London Art Map  
Curious about this artist? Try Robbin's Links Page
 

CCH Crusader

The CCH Crusader carving is located at the corner of Dundas St. and Colborne St. in downtown London. It is located on the southwest corner of the Catholic Central High School property, directly in front of the school's billboard. CCH is the oldest secondary school in the Thames Valley Catholic School Board system.

The school mascot is, obviously, the Crusader.

The Crusader carved in the trunk kneels atop a stump on one knee. He has his sword at his side, and his left hand is holding up his shield in front of him, fingers curled over the edge. He has a stoic expression on his face, looking striaght into the distance. The crusader has been painted white, grey, brown and tan, highlighting his flowing robe, helmet and shield.

Directly below and in front of the crusader is the school crest of CCH, The school motto, 'Virtus et Scienta' translates as 'Virtue and Kowledge'. CCH belongs to the Catholic board and promotes learning with an element of the christian faith in the curriculum. The crest is done in high relief, ribbons curling around nicely behind it. The lower half of the piece is protected by clear lacquer, and the different colours and cracks in the wood are easy to see.

The rest of the bottom of the trunk is carved with symbols of the different curriculum and activities at the school. There is a tragedy theatre mask in one section, as well as an artists brush, and comedy mask in another.

With the widely varying colours and condition of the trunk on this carving, I can imagine the problems posed by finding a rotten or severely cracked section in the middle of roughing out the scultpure. With the trunk stuck in its location, I'm sure improvising is sometimes required.








Symbols for the athletic programs at CCH run down the left side. Football and track being sports that the school has excelled in before.

At the very bottom of this section is the artist's signature (inset). The sculpture was carved by Robbin Wenzoski who was using a logo that spelled out RaW art at the time. The date is 2008.












So, what incredible vista, what inspiring horizon does our noble Crusader stare out at day after day? Over what lands does he watch to protect his home from the wild and dangerous foe?

A bunch of apartment buildings. Hey, its the middle of downtown, not the Arabian Desert!


Return to the Tree Trunk Tour Overview Page

Check out all the entries using the London Art Map