Forest Deity is what sculptor Dudley Carter named it, and here we see it in its original native place – somewhere. Born in New Westminster, Canada in 1891 Carter spent much of the first half of his life as a forest engineer and a timber cruiser too. He learned the art of wood carving first as an adolescent by watching the Tlingit and Kwaquit Indians at it. The second half of his century (1891-1992) was spent sculpting. He was the first artist-in-residence with the King County Parks and Recreation Dept. He was then 96 years old. Somehow this rather large example of his work was moved for exhibition to an early Bellevue Arts and Crafts fair. I found it there thru historylink’s essay 2888. It shows a woman in a late 1940s dress standing beside it, and thereby helps one estimate its size, which you will see – if you look – will be bigger than it seems here – it seems to me. Where, I wonder, has it wandered to by now?”]CLICK TWICE to Enlarge
5 thoughts on “Our Daily Sykes #254 – Forest Deity”
Forest Deity is still in its Bellevue location, next to the Bellevue Square parking garage. It’s a bit dark in this google maps view, but you just make out it and its plaque.
Thanks Much Alan. I did not see it during my one visit (in a lifetime of consuming) to the Bellevue Square parking garage. I was attending the 75th birthday party for Lamar Harrington at the Bellevue Art Museum, which was then still upstairs in the center. Lamar’s namesake band – sort of namesake – Formerly Lamar Harrington, did some performance art for her birthday and those assembled with about one dozen portable blasters playing the bands only hit, Umcacamaumau. Not sure about the spelling Alan but you and I and the world will soon have a chance to hear Formerly Lamar Harrington playing it and much else in their first music video, which is named for them. Soon to be seen on you know what – the name slips me. Oh, YouTube, that’s it.
As I recall, Dudley Carter also had carved a figure in a cedar stump on Mt. Pilchuck. Saw it as a Boy Scout. Can’t rememer if it was this deity, or if I simply recall her from her days in Bellevue Square and the Arts & Crafts Fair in its early years.
My late father was an accomplished amateur photographer with his own dark room and a bunch of quality cameras. (His day job was at Boeing–weights & structure wing design…) Anyway–he took a photo of me circa 1963 as a young girl standing in front of the Forest Deity in Bellevue Square (then an outdoor-entry mall).
He took me to Bellevue Square every Saturday and we’d have lunch in the Rodedendron Room of the original Frederick & Nelson (I did not really have lunch–just frango mint ice cream). Then we’d go to a camera shop…and make the rounds.
He has many wonderful black-and-white photographs of “old Bellevue” as well as boating on Lake Washington. I should print some of his old slides. Was thinking that MAYBE the Bellevue museum might be interested in them. Some are quite good and unique–like of the old Bellevue Art’s Fair, etc. He had an excellent eye…
Forest Deity is still in its Bellevue location, next to the Bellevue Square parking garage. It’s a bit dark in this google maps view, but you just make out it and its plaque.
http://goo.gl/maps/Uy3L
Thanks Much Alan. I did not see it during my one visit (in a lifetime of consuming) to the Bellevue Square parking garage. I was attending the 75th birthday party for Lamar Harrington at the Bellevue Art Museum, which was then still upstairs in the center. Lamar’s namesake band – sort of namesake – Formerly Lamar Harrington, did some performance art for her birthday and those assembled with about one dozen portable blasters playing the bands only hit, Umcacamaumau. Not sure about the spelling Alan but you and I and the world will soon have a chance to hear Formerly Lamar Harrington playing it and much else in their first music video, which is named for them. Soon to be seen on you know what – the name slips me. Oh, YouTube, that’s it.
Alan
One thing more. Any idea where it came from, where we see Forest Deity in Sykes slide of her or it? Note the farmhouse in the distance.
Paul
As I recall, Dudley Carter also had carved a figure in a cedar stump on Mt. Pilchuck. Saw it as a Boy Scout. Can’t rememer if it was this deity, or if I simply recall her from her days in Bellevue Square and the Arts & Crafts Fair in its early years.
My late father was an accomplished amateur photographer with his own dark room and a bunch of quality cameras. (His day job was at Boeing–weights & structure wing design…) Anyway–he took a photo of me circa 1963 as a young girl standing in front of the Forest Deity in Bellevue Square (then an outdoor-entry mall).
He took me to Bellevue Square every Saturday and we’d have lunch in the Rodedendron Room of the original Frederick & Nelson (I did not really have lunch–just frango mint ice cream). Then we’d go to a camera shop…and make the rounds.
He has many wonderful black-and-white photographs of “old Bellevue” as well as boating on Lake Washington. I should print some of his old slides. Was thinking that MAYBE the Bellevue museum might be interested in them. Some are quite good and unique–like of the old Bellevue Art’s Fair, etc. He had an excellent eye…