Toad Hollow Photography

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, they always say.  In this case, eating this particular apple could also have the unintended side effect of a visit to a dentist.  Not exactly what you’d expect from your fruit, now, is it?

We’re heading back into the woods today to continue our adventure together exploring George Sawchuk’s Wacky Woods.  Our running photoblog series “Two Toads in Wonderland” chronicles our visit to George’s outdoor exhibit where we found many interesting items on display in the forest.  You can see our previous posts, if you are interested, to read the history and background on this absolutely astonishing secret hidden deep in the woods on Vancouver Island.

George was an incredibly gifted artist with a distinct vision.  In some cases his pieces spoke for themselves in an almost obvious fashion.  In others the deeper meaning is hidden or now long-lost.  We all know how important fruit can be for our daily diets, but I am pretty sure your doctor had something more organic in mind.  This, of course, doesn’t take anything away from this particular piece that was on display.  Why an apple and a pressure gauge?  And why does the gauge actually have a reading?  For this item, we came away with no deeper understanding of its inherent meaning, yet somehow it was no less mesmerizing than any of the other pieces on display.

At first glance this display resembles a face of sorts.  Closer scrutiny reveals that there is a much deeper secret hidden in this piece, one that we haven’t been able to uncover.  If you look closely you can see that there are antlers attached to the top of the exhibit with a bright red arrow through them.  I really have no real clue as to what it means, but this was definitely one of the pieces that made us pause and reflect as we enjoyed taking it in.

We found gauges on many of the displays, some of them creating an obvious meaning, others not so much.  I believe we are looking at a piece that expresses strong juxtaposition here…  if you look closely you can clearly see a face in the wood there, but the overall piece is clearly a missile that’s found itself buried head-first into the ground.  This was a very profound item, we thought.

I have no clue, don’t ask.  Sometimes as you wander around the exhibit, discovering new things around each corner, you find something that is well beyond comprehension without some additional context.  This particular item was a great example of this.  Yet still, the stark contrasts of steel and wood creations against the backdrop of the beautiful outdoors is something beguiling.  It’s what makes a visit to this special place so incredible.

Paths lead to other paths, and each step you take reveals something extraordinary.  The gnarly trees we have here on Vancouver Island make for the perfect setting for this style of art.  The forest forms a type of structure to take the visitor through the exhibit, yet as it sits laid-out treasures continue to reveal themselves as you move along.  In some ways we felt like children at Christmas, anticipating the next present to open with no real clue as to what lies hidden under the wrappings.

Many of the displays are interactive, with little doors and pull-outs that contain their own cache of wonders.  This place is a spot you can most certainly get lost in for hours, wandering, adrift in your own thoughts and impressions.

George Sawchuk sadly passed away earlier this year and his outdoor art exhibit stands as a testament to his incredible vision and artistic skills.  It was a visit that left an indelible mark on us and we are thrilled to be sharing these photographs.  If you get a chance to see this in person, we highly encourage it.

Thank you so much for your visit to The Hollow today!  As always we really do appreciate you taking the time to visit, and we’d like to encourage you to leave any comments you may have as we love to hear from all our visitors.