Sacred Trees
Louise Stokes
October 15, 1982 – March 31, 1983
Artist Statement
The transformation of my work in dealing directly with a tree trunk as a tree with its organic history started in April 1982. I began working with what I had found in the natural surroundings of my studio located in the country outside Toronto, which was surrounded by large cedar groves. I was interested in the personal organic history of the live tree form and began to trust dreams that would arise as I was working with the trees to "jointly" create new sculptures; I participated, rather than controlled, the creative process with the found natural tree (as a symbol of both nature and my unconscious) as an equal partner in creation. I felt that the space of the woods was as sacred as any "holy" space of a building. Hence the counterpoint of the works to the cathedral, located across the street from the Garden.
