Solo or Duo?

Sometimes, on rare occasions, I have the opportunity to work with a special site and have more than one little house sculpture "fit" the location. This stump provided one of those creative dilemmas.

First, I was very fortunate to find this perfect little stump on one of my scouting walks. The area had been logged about 25 years ago and there were many great locations to choose from... but I liked how this stump already had great character and it had it's own mushroom already growing on the top. So for the first step I made the mossy pathway that climbed up to the top which was already covered with a gorgeous garden of mosses and lichens.

I installed this little tower house and it seemed to fit the location perfectly. Some nearby red maple leaves were pinned together with thorns for the roof. I took many photos and was so pleased with the quiet serenity that the tower all by itself seemed to evoke. This was a place of solitude and retreat yet strength and a bit of elegance seemed to be present too. After taking all the photos, I began to wander around and found some other bits of birch bark and some tiny twigs and realized I could make a little gazebo like structure because all the materials were at hand... so I got to work.

Here is the result. Another charming little expression... but what an entirely different feeling we have now. Now it looks festive and warm. Now there are hints of fun and playfulness, there is the suggestion of a dialog between the two elements, and it most definitely does not feel as lonely as the first (solo) structure. Also the sun did come out more for the second shots so that helped add warmth to the mood, but still, I think there is something subtle that we notice when we see the two structures together as opposed to the strong but solo structure.

It is a fascinating thing to observe this one small difference making all the difference. There is no judgment here, just observing the differences. Some may prefer the festive look and some may prefer the solitude look... it might be interesting to ask yourself which you prefer and why.