By Anne Semmes
The annual Awesome Tree Contest has evolved into a multidimensional celebration of Greenwich’s trees courtesy of the Greenwich Tree Conservancy. Proof positive was seen in the standing room only gathering of more than 70 tree lovers at this year’s seventh Awesome Tree Contest awards reception held on Saturday, June 19 at the Greenwich Botanical Center.
Present were local photographers, artists, and poets who had entered one of the four categories of “Spring Flair,” (photo or work or art celebrating the joy of spring trees); “A Walk Amongst Trees,” (photo or work of art capturing the sense of wonder of a walk in the woods); “All in the Details,” (close-up photo or work of art highlighting a special tree detail such as bark, leaves, knots, etc.); and “Ode to a Tree,” (a poem of affection for a tree).
Attendees could admire the work of some 30 prize winners as displayed on tables and shown in a power point presentation. Prize winners included town residents, Greenwich High School and Greenwich Country Day School students, and residents from River House, with a posthumously award of honorable mention to artist Cory Dunham of Nathaniel Witherell.
Some of the first prize winners included photographer Richard Hein’s magical capture for “Spring Flair” of a crabapple tree in bloom on the edge of a pond in Bruce Park. The especially lacey look of a canopy of tall trees in a forest was photographed by Andrew Cummings in his entry in “Walk Amongst Trees.” And painter Kathryn Shorts brings us back to fall with her luminous take on a Japanese Maple tree losing its leaves in her entry in “All in the Details.”
Greenwich High School student artist Nicholas O’Brien does a masterful contemporary take in his “Spring Flair” portrait entry with trees substituting for a head, reminiscent of that 16th century Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo whose imaginative portrait heads were of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, etc.
Greenwich Country Day School student Anouk Marie Sriskandarajah took a first prize in poetry for her “Ode to A Tree” poem expressing her deep appreciation of trees, in her hand painted presentation. She tied with resident Cyndy Anderson whose “The Beech Tree” poem surely speaks to the comfort trees can give us in hard times if we only will pay them attention.
Thanks go to the sponsors who bring us the Awesome Tree Contest every year: the Greenwich Land Trust, Greenwich Botanical Center, The Bruce Museum, Greenwich Libraries, Audubon Greenwich, Greenwich Green & Clean and the Town of Greenwich.
