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We featured Australian artist Graham Wilson a while back, but we were only barely dipping into his full body of work.

He maintains a website that illustrates not only his woodcarvings, but also other works including stone sculptures, paper drawings, a Green Man play, and a few short video pieces ranging from whimsical to poignant.

Below are the opening lines to his play, Green Man, which he wrote for the 1996 Adelaide Fringe Festival.

(The Adelaide Fringe Festival is the second largest Arts Festival in the world, with this year’s event attracting over 1 million people).

The YouTube video clip is a short film Graham produced that we liked very much. To us, the film (titled, "Sea Door") speaks on many levels about our inherent connection with nature; the discovery of the wondrous feeling created when the natural elements of the world surround us.

The combined symbolism of the key, the locked door, the innocent girl and nature, captures, we think, a part of that “collective unconscious” Carl Jung spoke about many years ago. But see for yourself.

When we contacted Graham about doing another short article about his work, we mentioned the day it would run and that we couldn't remember if Australia was one day ahead or behind us here in San Diego. We added that he should check his sundial or hourglass or whatever Aussies use for timepieces down there. His reply:

"G'day. Yes we are a day ahead of you. We live in your future and you live in our past... Try getting your head around that..."




Opening lines to the play, Green Man, by Graham Wilson:

Every culture has a tale about a spirit that lives in the forest
or within the trees.
In ancient Europe this spirit represented the new life of spring...
the voice of the primordial forest....
a dark dense wood that stretched, unbroken,
from the shores of Gaul to the grass plains of Mongolia.
A forest so vast it was believed to have gone on without end.
A forest older than humanity.
To the native North American their grand woods, too,
were filled with spirits.
The Green man but one of many.
He was, however, seen as an agent of bad luck....
a creature bound to make you doubt your own will.
In the East he was a giant ape... a 'wild man'...
to be both feared and respected.
In early Christian Europe he was seen as the devil's agent...
for their god ruled the heavens whilst the devil ruled the earth.
Whilst here in Australia he was the voice of the ancestors...
the song of the trees...a song as old as the dreaming.
Whatever the belief one thing is constant...
the Green Man has dwelt in the wild
since the dawn of the forest.
He lives on in our cities,
his face hidden amongst the leafy decoration of Gothic facades...
Known by many names he is seen with many faces...
for today he looks like this [actor holds up mask]...
and today he meets humanity.

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Over time we have featured various artists on the Green Man Blog. These artists have come from far-away places like Australia or England, but now we thought we'd feature one of our own from San Diego.

Though not a "Green Man" artist in the classic sense, Nina Robinson has a close connection with nature.

Much of her work celebrates the colors found in nature, and she brings out the varied hues and richness of nature's palette like few other artists.

Her paintings, seen live, seem to glow.

Nina has an interesting story behind her work, and it's best heard in her own words:

"I have been painting for seven years without any formal education in the arts. Nine years ago, when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I had to give up a very active lifestyle of hiking, swimming, biking and camping. I prayed and asked God to give me a new passion.

“Modern Myth” by Nina Robinson. Original abstract, 36" x 48."

I believe that when God closes a door, He opens a window. A friend of mine believed I would be good at painting and gave me some canvas and oils and told me to go for it. I credit my success to God and call my painting ability 'Nina's Window'."

We see Green Man imagery in Nina's work, and we see it even in her paintings like Modern Myth. Stare hard at the painting and, to us at least, one can see and feel the clash and conflict of nature caught in the modern world.

In the short time Nina has been painting, she has accumulated an impressive list of awards and recognition.

Nina Robinson has an extensive collection of her work for sale on her Etsy site.

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Here's a closer look at our t-shirt designs, and a few comments about each one. Visit Green Man T-Shirts to see the designs on actual shirts. Some of the designs have been re-worked over time, so there may be some changes. It's hard to keep up with Rob; he just keeps churning out new stuff all the time.

Feel free to leave comments or suggestions. And feel free to leave scathing criticisms, also. It'll take a while, but we'll eventually find you through your IP address. (Just kidding. We value all comments).

The author of the book, Green Man: The Archetype of Our Oneness With the Earth, was also a poet:

Like antlers, like veins of the brain the birches
Mark patterns of mind on the red winter sky;
'I am thought of all plants,' says the Green Man,
'I am thought of all plants,' says he.*




*stanza 1 of 13, from the poem, "The Green Man."
Author: William Anderson (1990). Green Man: The Archetype of Our Oneness With the Earth. London: Harper Collins.

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We've written before about the Green Man archetype and how the image keeps re-appearing in so many different ways.

Well, here is another one.

You gotta admit, this doll has a certain style to it, doesn't it?

This doll (or pillow, really), and others, are handcrafted and sold by Mimi Kirchner.

She maintains a very extensive blog called Doll.

Like many talented craftspeople, Mimi sells her products on Etsy.

Her Etsy site can be reached here.

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The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

Paul Sivell is a wood carver in England who recently finished a project known as the tallest carving in the world. At over 60 feet, the carving was done for the Isle of Wight's Gardens in Bloom celebration.

Paul does Green Man representations in some of his work. The image shown here was carved into the dead section of a living oak tree.

His website is called: The Carved Tree

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The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

Graham Wilson is an Australian artist who has some interesting themes centered on the Green Man. The image right is his wood panel called “Weighing.”

Look closely and you can see a woman weighing gold, money, and jewels against a tree. The tree weighs more, to everyone’s surprise.

Or almost everyone: see the Green Man and the small child holding an owl? They know the value of nature.

Pretty cool, eh?

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The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!