“Tree/Cycle of Life” is a collaborative art exhibit at Mid-America Science Museum featuring work by woodturning sculptor Gene Sparling and colored pencil artist, Linda Williams Palmer.
When he is not in his workshop/studio, Sparling will likely be found hiking the Ozark Highland and Ouachita Trails. He has miles of trails with mountains, springs, creeks, meadows, and abundant wildlife, right outside his back door, providing the raw material for bowls like the one featured on the cover. He highlights the unique beauty of each piece while creating vessels, sculptures, and furniture that complement their natural roots. Each piece is individually handcrafted to draw out the intricate grain and color of the wood. Graceful, flowing lines, unusual textures, earthy colors, and a beautifully smoothed finish are the hallmarks of his work. If you’re fortunate to meet Sparling, be sure to ask him about two things; spalted wood and his new grandbaby.
Palmer’s colored pencil work is the result of thousands of miles traveled and hours of research into Arkansas’s Champion Trees – the largest trees of each tree species in Arkansas, many of which Palmer has photographed and drawn. Champions are unique from one another in size, width, and even color, as they represent entirely different species from one tree to the next.
If you have a tree you believe is the largest of its species, use the contact form at www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/forestry/champion-trees/ to contact the Forestry Division, call your local Forestry Division office, or send a nomination form to Harold Fisher, 20 Industrial Boulevard, Greenbrier, AR 72058. Send questions to harold.fisher@agriculture.arkansas.gov.
Special thanks to Dolores Justus for providing the hi-res photos we used and to Richard Stephens for his beautiful cover design that captures the uniqueness of these talented artists.
