photo: Fin Macrae

Earth Day is coming up next week.  I’m not going to lie.  While I do consider myself environmentally conscious, I am by no means perfect.  For instance, I do use an enormous amount of paper towels (food throwing three year old at home).

Before I digress into a laundry list of my own personal struggles with living ethically,  I will just share the fact that I plant a tree every year around this time.  It’s a small gesture but it helps to keep me connected to my environment.  So this weeks picks are inspired by trees.

Above is a photo of one of Patrick Dougherty’s installations.  He makes large scale sculptures out of thousands of saplings. The results are otherworldly.

via don’t panic

photo: Jose Mazcona

If you haven’t seen “Rivers and Tides“, the 2001 documentary about environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy, you need to rent or buy a copy immediately.  Photos of his work just don’t it justice.  The thoughtfulness and patience involved in his art making process is inspirational.

Michael Pfleghaar is a painter and sculptor who makes these great tree branch ceramic vases.

These soft sculpture trees by Lindsey Case are definite favorites of mine

Be sure to visit her shop The Linden Tree.

Tanis Alexis Laird hand felts these tree soft sculptures from merino wool.

Lots more to see in her shop.