the all-seeing tree

THERE IS A HALLOW'S EVE tale I'm sure you've never heard before. It is the story of the All-Seeing Tree. You see, there was once a gardener named Mary Ann who lived not long ago. She was introduced to me by my photographer friend Harold. We used to go sit and be entertained by her for hours on end — always enthralled. She would tell us fascinating stories of her life, with her beloved railroad-hobo dog right beside her in her chair.

MARY ANN'S HANDS | My photographer friend Harold Daniels took this photo of Mary Ann's hands placed on a large worn book as a surface and gifted me a digital print of it on watercolor paper. In the years since she died, her hands have taken on a ghostly look, while the colors in the book cover have become more pronounced. I'm convinced her green thumb had something to do with this alchemy, blooming into an even more intriguing and beautiful photograph.

SHE WAS A KINDRED creative soul and wasn't afraid to speak her mind — both Harold and I loved her for her independent spirit. And boy did she have a finely-tuned eye for beautiful things. Our visits with her were mesmerizing and always fun. And there was the usual offering of simple, but sophisticated food, even though she was living on a fixed income. We both delighted in spending time with her. It was certainly not an obligation. And she learned as much from us as we did from her.

TO DESCRIBE HER, you only need look at her time-worn hands and they told most of the story. To describe the rest of her — she was a tall, big-boned woman, the stature of Julia Child — but she was the expert on gardening instead of cooking. Succulents were her favorite plants and she gave me one of her specimen frilly Echeveria plants one time. After that I was hooked on succulents, having had a green thumb myself all my life. She grew all sorts of plants in her greenhouse, but succulents were her thing. And she made her own hypertufa pots for them and sold beautifully-arranged containers to supplement her fixed income.

SPOOKY TREAT | A green thumb extends beyond the grave. Life is continually recycled and there is a definite collective consciousness at work even after someone is gone.

SPIDER INDUSTRY | This wire-webbed glass cloche filled with balls of moss is a perfect home for a very industrious army of spiders.

IN MAKING THIS All-Seeing Tree come to life, I invoke the memory of Mary Ann and create the following fictional tale that was surely inspired by the afterlife: You see, after Mary Ann died, her greenhouse was left shut tight with the plants remaining there to fend for themselves. The spiders played a big role in gathering water to nourish the plants by slipping to and fro through the cracks in the doors, bringing as many droplets of water as they could. As their army grew and the greenhouse soon became as self-sufficient and as lush as a terrarium.

CANDY STOP | This pedestal container of licorice in the shape of tiny skulls is a delectible treat for a Halloween that is spooky, yet fun.

ON ONE HALLOW'S EVE night, this tree miraculously sprung up in a beautiful gothic pot left in the greenhouse, It quickly produced "fruit" that looked back at you. Even though you weren't entirely convinced that the fruit could see, you knew it connected you with something. Even if it seemed a bit spooky, it left you with a certain knowing that our connection with the spirits beyond this realm is surely real, and gives you a real sense of satisfaction that our loved ones live on.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY is that what we see isn't always real, but what we don't see can be very real. Mary Ann would be sure to let it be known that life is what you make it. And there's nothing spooky about that at all. In fact, it's a real treat.

©2015 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

something wicked

"Something has changed within me. Something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game."

—ELPHABA THROPP from WICKED (the musical)

I'VE SUMMONED Halloween a bit early this year. This time, I came upon a witch's hat (or two, or seven) and a cat that must have cast their spell on me, which led me to see this tree. Something wicked you say? Maybe so, but there's a certain elegance in these going's on. The witch responsible for guiding my Halloween spirit this year is quite a sophisticated one—not satisfied with the typical orange and black of All Hallows Eve.

INSTEAD, this witch has an eye (or two, or nine) on the lookout for a holiday tree that is decorated her way. I'm not responsible. It was out of my control. I think a little magic has happened. Elphaba Thropp, the name of the witch I have mentioned, is surely responsible. She's the daughter of the Wizard of Oz according to Gregory Maguire, who wrote the fictional account of her life in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum's book) was Maguire's inspiration. As a homage, Maguire used Baum's initials (L.F.B.), phonetically pronounced to form Elphaba's name. Get it? El-Pha-Ba. You may have heard of both of these authors, but didn't know much more than that. "So much happened before Dorothy dropped in . . ."

I WON'T SPOIL the story, but Gregory Maguire named Elphaba's book of spells a Grimmerie. The author goes on to say "I conjured up the word Grimmerie to prompt associations of several things at once: of the Brother's Grimm, with their tales of magic and witches and forests; of grimmness itself. But also I meant slyly to echo the archaic word gramarye. The Oxford English Dictionary defines gramarye as 'occult learning, magic, necromancy.' There is a solid philological relationship to the Scottish word glamour—the casting of a spell over the eyes of a spectator . . . "

ACCORDING TO the historiographical highlights in the Grimmerie, "Elphaba's origins are shrouded in mystery, but we do know her mother received a strange visitor before she was born. At Shiz University, Elphaba was a brilliant student with magical gifts that she tried to hide. Because of her green skin, the students, including her roommate Galinda, shunned her. Elphaba's momentous meeting with the Wizard in the Emerald City set her on the fateful path whereby she became Wicked."

SO THERE you have it. A watchful Halloween tree that has Elphaba's signature style. I am glad to be here to show you the results and to assist Elphaba in casting her spell. And I'm grateful for her guidance—which may very well have been her last good deed.

WICKED ELEGANCE | (Top two photos) This tree could have gone in a Seussian direction with an inspiration that started with a hat and then a cat, but I realized quickly that something else was at play. A bit of magic led me to find these witches hats (at Michaels, tucked away in a display of frames and meant to be placecard holders). And the cat appeared to me on a clearance shelf at Ross. All nine of those eyes were watching me at Pier 1 Imports. Odd numbers of each are the rule-of-the-day for a pleasing composition. The large book in the photo is The Grimmerie, a behind-the-scenes look at the hit Broadway musical "Wicked"—a gift from my friend Jon Chavez. It is beautifully-designed to look old by Headcase Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2005 (a spread from the Grimmerie is seen below).

MAGICAL DETAILS | The right balance was struck with a wire tree—made as craggy as can be’— coated with black glitter and beads, was found at Marshall's and decorated with the witches hats and the eyeball ornaments mentioned above. Added to the spirited mix is a smoky small glass beaded garland from Restoration Hardware, small glass ornaments in green and dark brown from Michael's and fancy glass clip-on candles from the "vintage" 2004 Golden Traditions line by Martha Stewart at Kmart. It's all contained in a heavy stoneware cauldron with smooth black river rocks.

MILLINER'S MAGIC | This flocked witch's hat from Michaels is deftly striped in green glitter and is topped with a spiraled wire meant to be used as a placecard holder at the dinner table (see below), but I first saw them as elegant ornaments.

CANDLE CHARM | These clip-on glass candles—which are historically  associated as a decorations for German feather trees were put to good use to set the mood. They are from the "vintage" 2004 Golden Traditions line by Martha Stewart at Kmart. I purposely centered this particular "flame" in the door's circular details to give a certain importance to it as a "tree topper" (the door was a discarded find, painted Bedford Grey from Martha Stewart's line of paints at Home Depot).

DRAFTY DODGER | This faux bois beeswax candle, mysteriously flamed out, is from the defunct Martha by Mail catalog. The metal candle snuffer from my collection stands guard. The beaded placemat is from the 2011 Halloween collection at Target. Two of Elphaba's spellbinding books (including the Grimmerie shown in detail above) are always at-the-ready.

TABLE FOR ONE | Since the mysteriously elegant Elphaba was shunned by her peers, she often dined alone, but with a great sense of style. The place setting is composed of a dinner plate, a salad plate and a napkin from Pier 1 Imports. The black dessert plate is from Target. The flatware pattern (that looks like unfurling fern fronds) is "Treble Clef" by Gourmet Settings.The silver-rimmed crystal water goblet and wine glass are from the defunct Martha by Mail catalog. The beaded placemat is from the 2011 Halloween collection at Target. Here the witches hat from Michaels is used as it was originally intended as a placecard holder. I made the placecard from a faux bois printed gift card by Martha Stewart Crafts by adding a brown satin ribbon through the perforations. Stick-on scrapbooking letters spell out Elphaba's name on the ribbon. The small bouquet is composed of a probable witch's brew of delphinium, rosehips, hosta and a thorny stem of a trailing rosebush.The tarnished hotel silver bud vase containing it is from my personal collection.

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland as inspired by Elphaba Thropp

tree of treats

AT HALLOWEEN, the usual distinctions between the living and the dead, children and adults, fun and fear are mysteriously blurred. The magic of the season lies in the progression of summer to fall and the onward march to winter. Autumnal colors brighten the landscape with a blaze of color, but eventually turn brown and fall to the ground to nourish the soil. It's all part of the continuous circle of life and death with the promise of rebirth in the coming spring. The Halloween tree is a recent phenomenon and is fast becoming a holiday fixture. It's fun to transform a traditional Winter/Christmas concept. 

THIS HALLOWEEN treat tree (above) is made of black crimped wire formed into a trunk with spiked branches creating a spindly silhouette. It is decorated with large metal cones painted to resemble candy corn which are filled with Halloween candy. Similarly, the first modern Christmas trees were hung with fruits, nuts, cookies and pastries. Blown glass ravens with black feather tails perch precariously and glittery wire spiders hang and crawl about—to represent the circle of life and death and pay homage to the natural world. Ravens are incredibly intelligent birds and have the ability to mimic many sounds. Because of this, they are considered wise and to possess powers of prophesy. A small autumnal tableau of pumpkins and gourds are at the base of the tree and Halloween candy is scattered about. The two pumpkins below the base are carved with a folk art tree of life and a black cat, it's back arched in classic Halloween style. The metal crow to the left is pecking at a bowl of candy treats. "Happy Halloween!" letters are strung together behind, along with a witch flying across the moon.

THE MOST CREATIVE public display of an autumnal tree I've seen was a fifty-foot tall pumpkin tree artfully composed with vines and artificial pumpkins of every shape and size. It appeared at Stone Mountain Park in the Crossroads area a few years back. I went back this year expecting to get pictures of a similar tree, but it wasn't to be found. Rarely do I see a commercially decorated tree of this size with such a magical natural-looking quality.

I JUST DISCOVERED Ray Bradbury's book, The Halloween Tree  and although I haven't read it, I'm intrigued. Below is the Amazon.com review of the hardcover edition:

. . . Eight boys set out on a Halloween night and are led into the depths of the past by a tall, mysterious character named Moundshroud. They ride on a black wind to autumn scenes in distant lands and times, where they witness other ways of celebrating this holiday about the dark time of year. Bradbury's lyrical prose whooshes along with the pell-mell rhythms of children running at night, screaming and laughing, and the reader is carried along by its sheer exuberance.

Bradbury's stories about children are always attended by dread—of change, adulthood, death. The Halloween Tree, while sweeter than his adult literature, is also touched at moments by the cold specter of loss—which is only fitting for a holiday in honor of the waning of the sun.

This is a superb book for adults to read to children, a way to teach them, quite painlessly, about customs and imagery related to Halloween from ancient Egypt, Mediterranean cultures, Celtic Druidism, Mexico, and even a cathedral in Paris. (One caveat, though: Bradbury unfortunately perpetuates a couple of misconceptions about Samhain, or summer's end, the Halloween of ancient Celts and contemporary pagans.) —Fiona Webster

FRIGHTFULLY FESTIVE | Decorating this "Halloween treat tree" (top, right), wire spiders hang from chains atop a wooden pedestal all from Pottery Barn (a few years back), while the metal crow was bought there this season. The rustic metal candy corn cones are from the workbench of Tom Guffe, created exclusively for Ohio Wholesale, Inc. and found at a shop in the Crossroads at Stone Mountain Park. The glittery spiders are from Z Gallerie. Five raven ornaments stand guard and are manufactured by the Merck family's Old World Christmas. The small matte orange and black glass baubles are from Borders. The "Happy Halloween" letter garland is from Martha Stewart Holidays and was found at Target.

PUMPKIN PRODUCTION | This incredibly artful pumpkin tree (above, left) graced the Crossroads at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia for the annual pumpkin festival for a few years. Regretfully, it didn't appear this year.

ORANGE GLOW | Ray Bradbury's original painting (left) for his classic book, "The Halloween Tree" was created in 1960.

©2009 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland