Category: Features

When asked why she had not gotten a facelift at her age, Academy Award winning movie actress Bette Davis replied, “Because I have earned every line and wrinkle.” The same can be said of the bark of trees. The tree has earned every line and curlicue. The bark is the armor of the tree protecting the inner wood from disease, injury or illness. This outer shield comes in a variety of patterns and colors. The hues range from white and gray to orange, red, green or multiples of colors. The texture can be smooth, rough, furrowed or can peel away revealing a tapestry of shades and textures. Planning a design around the color and texture of tree bark provides a complete picture of a garden. Choose flower colors, designs, heights and shrubs to enhance the tree bark and the garden will take on a new canvas of excitement. Some common examples of these artistic beauties are the Sycamore, Dogwood, Hickory and River Birch. The Sycamore tree bark is an interesting pattern of “patching” and shading. It is often found near water or streams but does not require the wet soil to survive. The creamy white base is covered in grayish brown patches giving the bark its distinguished look. The upper part of the trunk “exfoliates” into a patchwork of brown, yellow and green. The Dogwood tree bark has small,...

Sean Downey, woodcrafter and artist of Barn Life Primitives & Architecture in Chestertown, has two major objectives: Bring people to downtown Chestertown and create new designs from old wood. Downey began working in wood after graduating high school and said he became enthralled with its beauty. He worked indoors with wood and outdoors rock climbing. After he suffered an accident in the shop that resulted in the loss of his left hand, he began to study antique tools and read extensively about antique barn wood. He said he and his wife would take rides up to Philadelphia and Lancaster County, Pa., looking for unique barns. He soon opened a shop and began creating furniture using many antique woodworking tools, some older than 100 years old. When asked how he knew how to use these tools he replied, “I read a lot about tools and visited a lot of barns.” His missing left hand was replaced with a prosthetic one that has not hampered his ability in creating unique pieces. Downey said his preference is to style tables and doors and Downey is raffling off a door every month through the end of the year to benefit a local non-profit organization. “Primitives last a long time,” he said. “They have survived wind, rain, heat and snow. I recently got wood from an old water tower in Havre de Grace which...