DAY 49
05.23.07
TREE 55After a long day of emptying the Garners’ basement, Will and I took a stroll to find a tree. But we didn’t go but a few feet before I spotted a possibility right off the driveway. Will asked how I was going to climb it. I told him, “Will, how I climb every tree, one limb at a time.”
And true, the beginning was tricky with only a few small branches, but previous trees had prepared me for it. Quickly I was up in the thicker branches and felt much more secure. Plus the tree’s bark was relatively smooth, and my shoes gripped well. I kept climbing high using new and varying hand holds, grabbing crevices, wedging my arm between two branches, walking up branches. It was a very fun climb. And when clearing a dead branch I angered a bee. It hovered in front of me as if it were scolding me. I freaked a little but it flew off. And again the climb down was calm, comfortable, and fun with a big drop down.
5-23-08: Hey guess what? I am bloggin from Will’s place! He’s playin Guitar Hero III right behind me… YEAH!!!
I had a show at the Mary Anderson Center of the highlights of the first 90 days of my project. Then made the cut and I had both pictures hanging. Will’s parents’ purchased a copy and made me feel like a real artist. Thanks Joyce and Gordon!
I am glad I was not cleaning out Will’s parents’ basement today. Instead I finished the flooring job with a nice layer of polyurethane. Afterwards we had lunch at Hooters!
so, let’s get down to yesterday’s climb. Norm and I got dinner at Mai’s Thai in Jeffersontown. It’s an awesome place and I recommend the trip to southern IN to go. We picked up some road sodas on the way back to Norm’s house and finished them out on his deck. He then mowed his lawn while I climbed a nice maple tree. Here are some pics and a video:
Norm was doing something with an extension cord:
Author: Todd Smith
Hi! I am an interdisciplinary artist and committed educator.
From 2007-2010 I climbed a tree everyday and documented the project with photography, video and writing on this blog. I am revisiting the trees and writing again starting March 2018. Stay tuned.
My work considers our collective impact on the urban environment. Projects range from community-based, data-driven projects interpreting bike usage into sound, photography and video series exploring human movement through urban structures and green spaces, and interactive sculptures that vary in their use of found materials, analog technologies, and emerging digital media.
I currently teach a variety of 2D, 3D and digital subjects at universities in the Louisville, Kentucky area.
