Ugly Cypress Knees Thriving in a Swamp
Look at me, what do you see?
What possible use could there be for these knobby knees at the edge of a swamp? Cypress knees are growths on the horizontal roots of bald cypress trees. The roots are buried in mud and anoxic water. Some believe the knees help the tree get needed air. But there is no definitive proof of this.
What do you see when you look at these taller knees?
Would you bypass these projections if you saw them? They aren’t even pretty to look at. These grow in a green scum-covered swamp in Louisiana. I noticed them on a hiking trail. I stopped to observe the knees closely. They didn’t resemble the knees that I use for carving. But those had the rough outer bark removed.
This two-foot whimsical figure was one of my first attempts at carving a cypress knee. It had a light yellow color. I followed directions from a book that woodcarver Carole Jean Boyd wrote. She creates similar characters which vary from six feet tall to down. I took a class from her at my local wood carving club.
The wood is relatively soft once the skin is removed. The darker color around his face is the skin. I use hand tools so it is a good medium for me to use. I used a woodburning tool to define his flowing beard to suggest texture.
I’m nature oriented so I experimented with carving animals. Sculpting is far different from doing a two-dimensional painting. I sit with a cypress knee for a while till an idea starts to form in my mind.
I ask, “What is hiding within you?” before I ever take a knife to it.
What could I do with a thick one & 1/2 foot knee? Then it came to me.
This raccoon is stuck in a tree cavity. How is he going to get out? I distressed the tree bark with a hammer.
This small cypress knee was perfect to illustrate a mother husky with two pups. What would you have seen in this triangular-shaped wood?
What would you have seen in this misshapen knee? This narrow medium width knee stumped me. Then my hands started to carve a tiny rabbit hiding amongst a leafy vine.
A great blue heron and a bald eagle are two of my favorite birds. These are fun and whimsical renderings. They are one and 1/2 feet tall.
I had a nice chunky one-and-a-half-foot knee to work with. This brown pelican is sitting on an egg that is starting to hatch.
A one-foot cypress knee with bulging knots presented a challenge. What could I do with it? I finally settled on a little chipmunk. Can you imagine what you would have created out of this particular knee?
I have won some ribbons for my carvings at a Midwestern Carving Show. Woodcarving is a relaxing art form. But cypress knees limit your imagination to the size and contours of the wood itself.
They were perfect for transporting in my RV when I spent a year on the road. They don’t take up much room and my tools were minimal. In good weather, I would carve at my picnic table. I educated curious campers about cypress knees when they stopped to chat.
This quote reminds me that all mankind is creating a unique style of our own. We may look different but inside everyone, there exists a life-sustaining spirit. The cypress knee may supply vital air to the tree, as some believe. Are the different races and cultures on earth ready to breathe a new life of peace and harmony?
I do believe we’re moving in that direction. Our present governing systems aren’t working anymore.
“I do not like carving the world into segments; we are one world.” Indira Gandhi
This quote reminds me of a Native American saying, “We are all one tribe.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Haven’t we had enough of violence around the world? It is a destructive force that creates more division than it solves. Remember the cypress knees growing in a swamp of muck? In the hands of the right people, they can blossom into something beautiful. Have faith. The world is ripe for positive change.
Annelise Lords proposes a challenge that encourages one to really observe possibilities.
Sandi Parsons writes about a vagrant in Perth who was voted the best street performer. Many years later a statue honors his life. Who knows what effect our own lives have?
Lisa Precious / Smiley Blue reveals her anxiety about facing shame in school & the lasting effects it can have.
✍ — Published by Warren Brown, at Dancing Elephant Press. Click here for submission guidelines.
This small cypress knee was perfect to illustrate a mother husky with two pups. What would you have seen in this triangular shaped wood?