A fresh look at trolls

Courtesy of a link at Dark Roasted Blend, I came across a 'tree troll' created by Seattle-based sculptor Kim Graham out of papier-mâché in 2006, with the help of a couple of dozen volunteers. She describes it as follows.

I am of Norwegian descent and when the 'Lord of the Rings' movies came out, I recognized the Ents as being similar to tree trolls from Scandinavian Mythology. People will identify with this image, but it has special meaning to me.




I grew up in a small logging community in Montana, and most of my life was spent hiking and camping in the deep forests of the Northwest. The great cedar trees have always instilled a sense of awe, and surprisingly, awareness. They seemed thoughtful creatures, old, wise, and kind. Seeing the character of Treebeard in the movies inspired me to do a Northwest version.

There's more at the link. Many more pictures of the 'Tree Troll Project' may be found here.

Ms. Graham is planning a concrete version of her 'tree troll', and is also working on what she calls a 'Red Silk Mermaid'. Details may be found here.

It's nice to see an original talent at work. I look forward to seeing more of Ms. Graham's art.

Peter