Gulf Titans: A detailed sculpture illustrates titans in the Gulf of Mexico. Included are a sword fish, dolphins, fish, and a clam shell. This carving sits in the front yard of a Victorian house in Galveston’s East End Historic District. The district is lined with Victorian style houses and many of the houses are over 100 years old. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Pod of Dolphins and Mermaid: The sculpture at this house on Ball Street shows a pod of dolphins and a mermaid. The dolphins are said to represent the children and the mermaid represents the mother of the family. This was a favorite tree of the family which now stands as a beautiful tree sculpture. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
There are occasions in life where things just don’t go your way. In fact, there are times when the situation is chaotic and tragic. How one, or a community, reacts to the tragic times speaks volumes.
Such was the case in Galveston, Texas in 2008. On Sept. 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike struck land causing major damage. The hurricane brought destructive winds (more than 100 miles per hour), flooding from the Gulf of Mexico and several inches of rainfall, which made the flooding worse.
There was extensive damage across Galveston Island following the hurricane. One of the losses was thousands of trees in all parts of town. The major artery onto the island from the north is I-45, which becomes Broadway Street in Galveston. Trees have lined the roadway for decades but may became victims of the hurricane. Those trees have been replaced. The East End Historic District, which includes Broadway, took the brunt of the tree loss probably because the area was well over 100 years old and had a concentration of large trees. Since Hurricane Ike, more than 8,000 trees have been planted to replace those trees destroyed by the storm.
Following Hurricane Ike residents of the historic district decided to make something positive from the loss of the neighborhood trees. Their solution was to have the broken trees carved into art objects. Today there are over 30 sculptures which were carved from the massive trees. While carvings can be seen across town it was the East End Historic District area where most of the carvings can be seen.
The sculptures were carved by three artists and paid for by the residents whose tree or trees were being transformed. The artists were Earl Jones of Galveston, Doyle Lewis of Richmond, Ind., and Jim Phillips of Houston, Texas.
To drive the streets of the historic area of Galveston is a pleasure anytime, seeing these tree sculptures and the stories behind each work was a joy for us during our recent visit.
The photos included in this Post From the Road were taken along the streets and yards of the East End Historic District. I have attempted to show at least portions of the old Victorian style of homes to illustrate the beauty of “old Galveston”. The Galveston Tree Sculptures are free to visit and mapped in a brochure by Visit Galveston.
There is much to see and do on Galveston Island and surrounding areas. If traveling in the area I would highly recommend a trip to Galveston to explore the city.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Blue Herons on Rocky Waterfall: This detailed and polished tree sculpture shows two Blue Heron birds on a rocky waterfall in the East End Historic District in Galveston, Texas. The detail in the carving is amazing. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Tall Ship ELISSA Figurehead: The tall ship ELISSA is a three-masted ship which is based in Galveston. The ship first set sail in 1877 and it is one of the oldest ships sailing today. This tree sculpture show the bowsprit of the ship with a figurehead carved onto the bowsprit. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Pelican with Two Alligators: This carving on 13th Street in the East End Historic District displays a Pelican atop two alligators carved from a tree destroyed by Hurricane Ike, which hit Galveston in 2008. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
The Geisha: Located on Ball Street, The Geisha represents the homeowners love of the Orient and their trips to Japan. The sculpture faces west, which is the direction of travel to reach Japan. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Guitar: The owner who commissioned this carving obviously had a love for music and the guitar. The tree carving stands several feet high in the front of a house in the East End Historic District in Galveston. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
