Woodfield 1840-2007

 

"Woodfield" is a carving located  at 581 William St. in downtown London. It is near the west end of Rosedale Av. The sculpture commemorates the neighbourhood known as Woodfield, which covers most of the east side of the downtown core. A brief history of the neighbourhood can be found on the Woodfield Community Association's website.

The title of the carving is very prominent on this trunk, large letters at eye level stand out very well. I think it reflects the pride that the sponsors have in their community. This is the same organization that commissioned the first carved trunk, 'Convergence' on Peter St.

The main carving on the side of tree is a squirrel, carved in relief, hiding behind a tree. The winding roots and branches carry the eye both up and down around the tree.

As the tree pattern continues, we see the leaves of the tree, which appear to be that of a silver maple. I will, in future, try to find information about what kind of trunk this was actually carved out of.

 The top of the tree, when viewed from the south side, is taken up by four very weighty looking acorns. large oak leaves are draped down from the trunk cap.










When viewed from the north side, however, we see that the acorns were hiding the real prize, a rather amusingly depicted squirrel, digging for all he's worth! Half his body has disappeared into the tree, but if he wants to hid the massive acorns, he'll need a big hole.

Well, would you look at that, it appears he's stuck his head out halfway down the tree! That's determination. I'm curious if we are being led to believe that this little guy lives in Squirreltopia! Or that he's just blessed with a huge stash of acorns.

I always try to take a look at the signature on a piece, if I can find one, and this is a Robbin Wenzoski creation, as are most of the trunks on the tour. Its the block letter logo this time. The tree also had the official Tree Trunk Tour plug inserted into it. I first noticed it on the carving "Come Together and Grow". I'm a bit surprised to find it's not on every trunk.







 
Condition issues are usually the last thing I note, and this trunk has a lot of damage on unsealed areas. It looks like mother nature is trying to do what it would to a normal dead tree, and the insects and fungus are starting to take their toll.





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Squirreltopia!

Located at 799 Waterloo St. this feature on London's Tree Trunk Tour is entitled 'Squirreltopia!' the artwork is directly across from St George's Public School. It is in front of a regular residence, not a business or charity.



















Squirreltopia is a whimsical take on what would make the ideal residence for our little, furry, tree dwelling friends. It is styled as a castle with two small lower towers, and one upper turret. Some windows are carved in relief, others are actually holes bored all the way through the piece.

Sitting off to the side, and slightly taller that the rest of the piece is an actual squirrel nesting box. It was part of the original design and construction, as can be seen on the London Tourism Tree Trunk Tour Map (#13) The front of the tree also has a squirrel carved in relief on the upper half, which can be seen in the top photo on this page.

The signature on the piece is a little different from most of the others on the tour. It is still a Robbin Wenzoski creation, with the connected RW as the signature, not the 'RaW art' logo that appears on other works. It is also dated 2006, so it likely pre-dates his decision to use the more frequently seen 'RaW art' version. There is also a stamp with name a phone number below the title that I had not seen on any of the other pieces. The title is often incorporated into the overall carving design on later works, on this trunk, it's a bit of an afterthought.

Being an older work, it certainly opens up the possibility of age related condition issues, and they do appear to be a problem in the area just below the signature. There are insect bore holes, and evidence of rot at the base of the tree. Anywhere sealed with the varnish looks like it is in good condition, but much of the trunk is unprotected.

As a last note, the owner of the house draped Christmas lights over this piece, and never removed them. The picture was taken in October, and it looks kind of sad this way. Good artwork deserves more respect.

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