Thursday, March 20, 2008

Patrick Dougherty's tree art at Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden

LOOKING like children's building blocks tossed by giant hands, the assemblage of woven-willow cubes and rectangles conveys kinetic energy.

Titled "Catawampus," the installation by Patrick Dougherty beckons from the main path at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia, sunlight slipping between the warp and weft of twigs. The tactile quality of each thread-like branch appeals to me: the in-and-out, the over-and-under. I run my hand along the twisted surface, marveling at the density of 4-inch-thick walls. My fingers stroke the soft tips, velvet against the rough bark.

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