Archives

Stone Tree Inverted Post (Copper Bound Water Light)

Artist(s):

Project Description Artist Jud Fine took his cue for the station artwork from the Greene & Greene-designed Oaklawn Waiting Station, built in 1906 on Fair Oaks Avenue. For the station project, Fine created an 18-foot tall copper-bound “Stone Tree” with bluntly cut limbs that rise staunchly amidst a backdrop of heavy wood beams and arroyo stones. Referencing the mythical tree of life, it stands as a formidable icon to the Craftsman Style of architecture known throughout the area, and represents the movement’s joining together of natural elements and human design. Fine’s replicated tree is reminiscent of the ficus trees that line the streets throughout Highland Park. Two elderly examples of these trees still exist on Avenue 58 adjacent to the station, and have “enveloped” their original steel tree cages just as Fine’s “Stone Tree” is burgeoning around its wrapped copper cable. On the station’s platform, two canopy-support posts turned topsy-turvy with structural limbs anchored to the ground provide seating for waiting passengers. Referred to as “Inverted Post” by the artist, these elements represent a counterpoint …