NOBODY COULD BEAR TO SEE TREE DIE, SO ...Byline: - Grace Lee When wood sculptor Stacy Poitras first revved up his chain saw and began carving carving, n the shaping and forming with instruments. a 10-foot oak tree stump into the shape of a bear, he didn't know it would become his most important piece of art. Certainly no other piece he's carved carve v. carved, carv·ing, carves v.tr. 1. a. To divide into pieces by cutting; slice: carved a roast. b. at the Malibu Mountain Galleries, where he has worked for three years, has prompted motorists to pull over in admiration. ``It's incredible,'' Poitras said. ``People really, really want to know what I'm doing with this thing.'' The 35-year-old artist's latest work stands at Kanan Road and Sierra Creek, in an unincorporated area In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality. To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, i.e., a city or town with its own government. between Agoura Hills and Malibu. Poitras said he had always appreciated the beauty of the 70-foot oak, which until recently stood in front of the Rustic Canyon restaurant, where he eats lunch most days. ``We wanted to recycle re·cy·cle tr.v. re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling, re·cy·cles 1. To put or pass through a cycle again, as for further treatment. 2. To start a different cycle in. 3. a. the tree and keep it alive as a monument to such a majestic thing,'' Poitras said. ``I think it's the most important thing I ever carved because the tree had a life force for a lot of people. A lot of people loved that tree. They like that I've turned it into something.'' Poitras was first asked to carve carve v. carved, carv·ing, carves v.tr. 1. a. To divide into pieces by cutting; slice: carved a roast. b. into the oak stump by Mike Zal, the owner of the Rustic Canyon restaurant, a few days after county fire crews cut it down last month. Although the oak tree looked healthy, it was actually decaying and posed a liability for the county, Zal said. ``I was thinking it was such a huge, beautiful tree, even dead,'' he said. Oak trees in that area can be as much as 125 years old, said Rosi Dagit, a senior conservation biologist for the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. . Poitras, who has sculpted sculpt v. sculpt·ed, sculpt·ing, sculpts v.tr. 1. To sculpture (an object). 2. To shape, mold, or fashion especially with artistry or precision: every shape - from human figures to animals to abstract sculptures - said he chose to carve a bear because it seemed like the right animal to stand in a rustic spot in the mountains. ``Everybody loves it, because at least we saved the tree,'' said Zal, whose customers were initially upset to see the oak tree cut down. ``We made something of it instead of turning it into firewood.'' Poitras said that because the sculpture is rooted in the ground, ``it's going to be here forever.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Stacy Poitras of Malibu Mountain Galleries wields a chain saw on the 10-foot bear sculpture he carved from the remains of a 50-foot, 300- year-old oak. The ailing tree had been felled by the county because it posed a fire hazard fire hazard fire n that's a fire hazard → das ist feuergefährlich fire hazard n that's a fire hazard → comporta rischi in caso d'incendio . Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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