Thursday Salute to Originals: Twisted Tree Root Frames

Wood is hands down one of the most versatile materials in architecture and design. Whether its being used  unseen as milled, rigid sub-structure (think studs, furniture substrates), celebrated for its natural beauty in grain pattern and warm tone (i.e. hardwood floors, wood-clad walls), sculpted into a decorative artwork piece, or put on center stage in a backlit wood feature (that’s our favorite!), the possibility of the this natural material is nearly endless.  So its no surprise that when we saw Darryl Cox’s wooden artwork  – and the unusual juxtaposition of raw earthiness and rigid, man-made form – that we were intrigued.

Artist Darryl Cox creates Fusion Frames – hybrids between re-purposed picture frames and real segments of trees and their roots.

Cox starts by finding unique frames from virtually anywhere. Then he takes to the forest (usually in Central Oregon where he is based) to select the tree branches and roots he deems to be ‘extraordinary.’ This is not always easy to do because matching the frame to the correct branch or root is often a challenge. Once he matches the two mediums properly, the woodwork begins. The woodworking, sculpting and painting themselves take Cox a while to complete since he is fusing a man-made object with a natural element. A lot of time and effort go into creating each frame, so Cox is only able to create around 25 each year.

Cox believes that art should be appreciated, and making just one of each work holds a much higher value. On his website, he goes on to say, “With so much individuality and capacity in being human, do we really require thousands, if not millions, of replicates of everything? Is it not okay, sometimes, to have one of something? To appreciate it privately?” His intent is to bring back the meaning and sincerity to the phrase ‘one-of-a-kind.’

This week we salute Darryl Cox for putting a fresh spin on such a common material, and reminding us to appreciate wood’s potential and beauty in all of its (very versatile!) forms.

Sources: Fusion Frames NW