365 Inspirations—225: Tree Art in Carkeek Park

"These painted trees express my deep connection and admiration for our natural world. They encourage the viewer to walk in and appreciate the natural environment. They are meant to be part of nature, not separate."—Richard Metz

Today we hiked down a trail on the Northwest side of Carkeek Park in Seattle and were surprised to run into this owl with human legs and a moose, both painted on trees!

I was worried for the trees until I found out that they will not be harmed because the artist used natural pigment and dyes to create them. The artist's wish is for people to enjoy his art in nature, which will naturally disappear within six months. He does not believe in accumulating art, he believes it should be temporary and enjoyed by all. The tree paintings are part of a Heaven and Earth art series at Carkeek Park. The artist is Richard Metz.

I thought these two were the only ones in the park until we hiked back up the trail. 

We then realized that there were more paintings on the other side of several trees.

These painting were life-like and surreal. I loved the paintings themselves and I was inspired by them, but I'm still trying to decide if I liked them on our beautiful trees in Washington State. I feel the trees probably don't need the paint job. They have personalities of their own.

But since the job was already done, I decided to admire the art that would eventually wash off with the rains.

There were other sculptures in the park as well. Here are some of those:

You don't need to go to an art gallery anymore I guess. You can just take a nature walk in a Seattle park and see all the art you can imagine. The art is inspiring in and of itself, but nature's natural art is even more inspiring in my humble opinion.

Do any parks near you have art sculptures, paintings or tree art? Do you like to see these in nature or do you think nature is better left alone?