KATONAH, NY.- Nothing says summer like a leisurely afternoon in the garden. The Katonah Museum of Art’s provides the perfect outdoor spot to eat lunch or escape for some peaceful moments beneath the magnificent 100-year-old Norway Spruce trees that stand sentry over the Sculpture Garden. On June 5, things got even more interesting as five of Joseph Wheelwright’s giant anthropomorphic “Tree Figures” were introduced into the Garden and the South Lawn. The Sculpture Garden is open during regular Museum hours, Tuesday – Saturday, from 10am-5pm, and Sundays from 12-5pm. The Katonah Museum of Art is located at 134 Jay Street/Route 22 in Katonah.

Joseph Wheelwright’s tree figures are a reflection of his reverence for nature and personal desire to collaborate with it. Wheelwright carefully surveys his land in Vermont for trees suggestive of the human form before uprooting them, turning them upside-down and transforming them into anthropomorphic sculptures that appear as though they are growing out of the earth. The trees, which range up to 27 feet tall, invite a dialogue between the natural and the manmade, as bifurcated trunks become legs, and roots become heads and arms, all while firmly retaining their identities as a product of nature.

Wheelwright is a sculptor who draws inspiration from natural materials –trees, stones, and bones found throughout New England. Much of his work involves only slight alteration, inviting the viewer to consider how nature nourishes the spirit and feeds the soul. For more information about Joseph Wheelwright and his sculptures, visit http://joewheelwright.com/.