Product Description
It's Cactus- Haitian Metal Art
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Tree of Life, Metal Tree of Life, Sustainable Tree of Life, Garden Tree, Framed Tree of Life 23"x23"
Slight imperfections on color due to original oil-barrel metal, which make this a truly beautiful one-of-a-kind item!
A LETTER FROM DEB: "Totally pleased with our Tree of Life. Everyone is asking where we got the artwork and I have given out your website to many others already, telling them to check out the many options available. I actually may order another style for inside our new home. We have decorated with mostly natural materials or items depicting nature. Loved the story behind the works too...have a great day!" (June 2016)
With branches reaching skyward and roots spreading out into the earth below, the Celtic Tree of Life symbolizes the Druid belief in the link between heaven and earth.
This piece is hand-cut from a recycled 50-gallon steel drum. To begin, laborers remove the ends of the drum and place them inside the remaining cylinder along with scrap paper, dried banana or sugar cane leaves. Igniting the contents removes all paint and residue. When cooled, the drum is cut down the side and flattened out to create a "metal canvas" of approximately 3' x 6'. From there, the artist takes over, chalking his intended design on the prepared metal. Using hammer and chisel, he cuts the form and with other simple tools, pounds out intricate decorative patterns. The finished piece is weather-coated so that it may be displayed indoors or out.
As you might guess, with anything made by hand, some mistakes can creep in. Ever replaced a button with one that was a little too small? Added almond extract instead of vanilla to the cookies? Did you throw them out? No, you made lemonade from those lemons! So with our Haitian art, items with small imperfections aren't discarded. Say the finish isn't quite uniform or a hanger is missing. Why toss it out? It is functional and beautiful in it's own unique, imperfect way. Additionally, "mistakes" are part of a learning process for young artists. We buy pieces that are less than perfect to encourage those who are just starting out but point out flaws as a means of teaching standards of quality. This enables them to buy more materials and keep working, and ultimately become successful. By buying any of these imperfect pieces, which we offer at a discounted rate, you help us help them.
