New sculpture by Lincoln artist Moses Pinkerton rooted in nature

[July 07, 2017]  LINCOLN - The latest public sculpture by Lincoln artist Moses Pinkerton has been completed and is ready for installation. Pinkerton created “Cow in the Corn” that stands on Sangamon Street in Lincoln.

His latest piece of art is entitled “Nature’s Embrace” and was placed at Lincoln College’s Dr. Dennis Campbell Creekside Environmental Center on Thursday morning.

“Nature’s Embrace” is a unique sculpture that has been carved from an eight foot tall Chinese Elm tree trunk. A space has been cleared from the log that will allow a visitor to step into the sculpture and be hugged by the tree.

This reversal of roles from tree hugger to being hugged by a tree is the unique feature. The spring loaded hugging arms were also carved from the tree.

Where does an artist get an eight foot tall by three foot diameter tree trunk? “I stopped by Jason Hoffman’s studio one day and someone had dumped the tree trunk in the alley. I just thought I could make something out of it, save it from fire and ashes,” said Pinkerton. “I really like working with wood, especially the pattern of the grain,” he added.

From how Pinkerton described what happened, it seems as if this sculpture was meant to be.

He said that some person trying to dispose of a giant tree trunk dropped it at the doorstep of a sculpture studio, and an artist took it from there. The project was completed in about two months. It is coated with a two-part epoxy resin that will make it weather proof.

Pinkerton along with help from Ken Hoffman of Fairbury completed the work at Jason Hoffman’s School of Sculpture at 517 North Sangamon in Lincoln.

Moses is the owner and resident artist of the Lincoln Art Institute where a monthly themed art show is a regular feature of the Lincoln art scene.

At the installation Thursday morning, Moses Pinkerton placed a 2017 penny in the base of the sculpture. He always places a current penny in his outdoor sculptures as a personal superstition.

What better choice of a final location than the beautiful Creekside Environmental Center. “In the Mayan culture, a sculpture like this is called a stela, representing a mystical spirit,” said Dennis Campbell.

[Curtis Fox with photos by Fox, Jason Hoffman & Nila Smith]