Waldgeist II, 2012
Forged and welded weathering steel with bronze leaf
14 x 7 x 6 in. (H x W x D)


"Waldgeist II" is an abstract portrait mask of a mythological forest spirit formed from leaves and twigs forged in COR-TEN® steel. Inspired by the spinning swirls that become ghostly figures in a forest whirlwind, these phantoms of the woods are recognized in myths and legends worldwide.

Waldgeist is German for ‘woodland spirit.’ Like the Dryads of Greek mythology, a waldgeist lives in and among the trees, protecting Nature and its human champions. The Japanese call them kodama. In Central Europe they are known as Leszi, and the wodewose or ‘Green Man’ is well known throughout Scandinavia and the UK. Believed by the Druids to be custodians of the woodlands, these beings can be kind and helpful to friends of Nature or fierce and threatening to those who choose to work against natural forces.