Hide stool by Tove Greitz

Stockholm-based designer Tove Greitz, a recent grad of Beckmans College of Design has designed an intriguing puzzle stool which can only be opened after sliding the patchwork of wooden slats in the correct sequence revealing a catch to open the lid, not just aesthetically pleasing to the eye but a bit of a brain teaser too.

Landscapes Painted on Logs by Alison Moritsugu

These incredibly detailed landscape paintings are the work of Hawaiian born artist Alison Moritsugu. By cleverly using wind fall logs, branches and tree roots she has created a striking juxtaposition of fine art and raw wilderness.

Giant Tree Sculpture Cast from the Trunk of a 140-Year-Old Hemlock

Recently unveiled at the MadArt space in Seattle, Middle Fork is the latest sculptural work by artist John Grade who worked with countless volunteers to help build this enormous mould of a 140-year-old tree.

Lampshade Turns Your Walls Into a Fairytale Forest

'Forms In Nature'  is a light sculpture by artists and designers Hilden & Diaz which transforms a room into a fairytale setting, or a scary forest, depending on your state of mind. This magnificent chandelier is partly inspired by the mirrored drawings of the natural world by Ernst Haeckel.

Hand crafted Wooden Chairs Shaped Like Giant Scorpions

The fearsome Scorpion Chair is a hand crafted wooden chair that is shaped like a scorpion. The chair measures in at six and a half feet and is available with leather upholstery and a variety of wood finishes.

Saigon Socialite Shoes

Elaborately Crafted Soles Reincarnating Vietnam's Artisan Villages through the Ancient Art of Pagoda Carving.

These elaborately carved soles from Saigon Socialite are the brainchild of LanVy Nguyen, born in Vietnam and raised in California. In 2007 Nguyen embarked on what she calls the "education of my life," which began in a Vietnamese factory.

Boneshaker Big Wheel ~ A Penny Farthing with Legs

I have always loved the old  'Penny Farthings,'  ungainly looking bicycles with one huge front wheel and one tiny rear wheel which would usually require an athletic leap or the help of an assistant in order to mount the saddle. But this incarnation from Ron Schroer uses a Theo Jansen style walking legs mechanism to replace the rear wheel.

Home-Made Eco-Friendly Truck, Unfolds Into a Castle

There are many passionate woodworkers who either have, or would love to, fit out their own mobile living space, giving it their own unique identity using their woodworking skills, but this beautiful truck which unfolds into a spacious castle from New Zealand couple Justin and Jola just about tops anything I have seen before. Don't forget to watch the video at the end of the article.

Slices of Tree Trunk Played on a Record Player

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it really make a sound ?
An age old philosophical conundrum that perhaps we may never get to the bottom of, but if a tree falls in a forest and you slice it up into segments and play them on a record player ? Then yes, according to Bartholomäus Traubeck you have music.

Forest Photography of Ellie Davies

The Stunning atmospheric photography of  Ellie Davies, is forest photography with a twist, Each series of images taken from around the UK forests have had something added, sometimes subtly, other times, not.
Each of the following images is just one from that titled series. I strongly recommend reading the artists statements to truly immerse yourself in what the artist has envisaged.

Another Green World, 2013

Competition Entry Black Walnut Floor

I was contacted by WeirdWood Reader Gary Horvath who is owner of  'Real Antique Wood'  based in Irvington New Jersey, and invited to browse through his Facebook page, when I saw this, I was hooked.

I Don't Like Mondays by Ben Turnbull

"Guns are Forbidden Fruit"  In 2009 at west London's Eleven gallery, artist Ben Turnbull from London UK put on an exhibition of seven pieces entitled  'I Don't Like Mondays'. Controversially these were images of a variety of guns carved into old school desks.

Lesson 1, 60 x 120 cm/24 x 47 in (carved desk), 2009

Matchstick Men by Wolfgang Stiller

In 2013 German artist Wolfgang Stiller had been experimenting with art materials leftover in his studio from a movie production in china while he was residing in beijing.  This is when he began his matchstick project with moulds of Chinese faces and bamboo.

Pirolette

Family business in Colorado Springs specialise in turning the profile image of you or your loved ones into unique wooden keepsakes.

Turn Your Head is a family run business based in Colorado Springs U.S. who cleverly use the  'Face versus Vase'  illusion to create a permanent profile portrait of your loved ones.

World Tree, Fly Agaric, Getting Pissed, Flying Reindeer, Santa Claus

Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, most of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanistic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian northern Europe.

The World Tree

Ancient peoples, including the Lapps of modern-day Finland, and the Koyak tribes of the central Russian steppes, believed in the idea of a World Tree. The World Tree was seen as a kind of cosmic axis onto which the planes of the universe are fixed. The roots of the World Tree stretch down into the underworld, its trunk is the "middle earth" of everyday existence, and its branches reach upwards into the heavenly realm.

The sacred mushroom of these people was the red and white Amanita muscaria, also known as "fly agaric." This mushroom commonly is seen in books of fairy tales and usually is associated with magic and fairies. It contains potent hallucinogenic compounds once used by ancient peoples for insight and transcendental experiences. Most of the major elements of the modern Christmas celebration, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, magical reindeer and the giving of gifts, are originally based upon the traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of this most sacred mushroom.

Amanita muscaria grows only under certain types of trees, mostly firs and evergreens. The cap of the mushroom is the fruit of the larger mycelium beneath the soil which exists in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the tree. To ancient people, this mushroom was literally "the fruit of the tree."

The Wild Horses of Newbury

During the infamous anti road building protests at Newbury, England in 1996-1997, Mark Carroll made a short film called 'The Wild Horses of Newbury'

A very moving short film of the moment when two wild horses intervene in the chopping down of two ancient oak trees to build a bypass, poetry by Mark Carroll.

'The Wild Horses of Newbury' was shot very early on a single morning in February. The whole episode only lasted a few minutes.. nothing was staged. The bypass security guards and police had circled two very old Oak trees and were preparing to chop them down, when two scruffy, seemingly wild horses appeared and began to interfere with the felling.

'Helping Hand' and the 'Wonky Conker'

On Bideford Quay, Bideford, Devon, UK there is a tree known locally as the 'Wonky Conker' and this is the story of  it's ' Helping Hand' 

Some years before the construction of Bideford Quay it was decided to chop down the mature trees on the riverbank in order to facilitate the building of the new car park. Many trees were sawn down on a Sunday before an outraged public became aware of the destruction.  One brave fellow sat by the “Wonky Conker” to save it from the chainsaws.

A few years later, Torridge District Council got in contact with local artist  John Butler explaining that the “Wonky Conker” was in need of some physical support. Mr Butler designed what he called ‘The Helping Hand’ – a metal prop covered to look like a log wrist with oak used to carve the hand & fingers. 

Wooden Popsicle by Johnny Hermann

Johnny Hermann is the alter-ego of the craftsman and designer Mauro Savoldi from Milan.
He re-creates the vibrant, colourful magic of summer ices in objects of minimal design, recalling one of the sweetest and most nostalgic treasures of our past.

The original popsicle was invented by an 11-year-old boy in San Francisco in 1905 – and by a strange coincidence it was a piece of wood that made the whole story possible! 
Childhood memories and fresh emotions are fused in the shape and materials of these creations.

The 'Predator' project: Mirrored sculptures making human forms blend with surroundings

Vestige 2009 ~  Rob Mulholland

The artist Rob Mulholland made these figures with mirrored stainless steel and has designed similar installations for the forest trail around Loch Ard in David Marshall Lodge near Loch Lomondare  Aberfoyle, Scotland. Mr Mulholland said:  ‘The idea behind the installations was to convey the changes that have occurred in the landscape over the last few hundred years.

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vestige

ˈvɛstɪdʒ/    noun       1. a trace or remnant of something that is disappearing or no longer exists

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Before the First World War this area of Scotland was open hillside with small sheep farming Crofts [ farms ] and rural communities. The crofters were moved to other land by the government as there was a desperate need for timber after the war. The area was planted with fast growing conifer trees suitable for harvesting softwood and the landscape altered once again.

The Swimmer by Stephanie Rocknak

This amazing piece was completed by Stephanie Rocknak in 2007. It was carved from a single piece of basswood and is slightly larger than lifesize. It is part of a 3-piece commission, The Triathlete. The other two pieces include The Biker and The Runner.

Each Triathlete piece shows a sense of movement. As Rocknak tells us, "These days, I am not very interested in sculpted figures, or real people, that 'strike a pose.' I am much more intrigued by folks who are on their way to or from somewhere. They seem more genuine to me."