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Sculptor Releases Mysterious Spirits Already in Trees

Sculptor Keith Jennings carves wise faces into trees, revealing each wooden tower's inner spirit. Jennings first embarked on his Tree Spirits project back in 1982 when he decided to creatively manipulate a tree in his backyard with a few hand tools. Starting out as a way to kill time on a budget, the artist wound up honing his craft. Jennings was later commissioned to apply his wood sculpting skills on a series of trees throughout St. Simons Island, located right off the coast of the state of Georgia.

Jennings took two to four days to sculpt each serene face throughout the forest, allowing them to intriguingly blend into their surroundings. (Of course, once they're spotted, it's hard not to notice their faces.) Each sculptural portrait emerges from its wooden post like a haunting sage, ready to impart some knowledge. The artist says that each face he carves into the wood is created entirely according to the tree. He insists, “I don't have that much to do with it. The wood speaks to you, ya know?”

Jennings' Tree Spirits project is on display throughout St. Simons Island (along private and public property) and the artist has conveniently tracked each one on Google Maps.







Photo credits: [J. Ashwell, Jeremy Moorehead, Robert English, Cay Ellis]
Tree Spirits website
via [slychedelic, San Diego Reader]

Pinar

Pinar Noorata is the Managing Editor at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, NY. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College and is an alumni of the Center for Arts Education’s Career Development Program in NYC. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching movies, reading, crafting, drawing, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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