Three Sisters: A Vision in Wood

It began with an 85-foot elm that was showing some rot and a city ordinance that wouldn’t permit the owners to take it down.  Faced with this dilemma, our Friends Liz and Terry Thompson opted to turn it into a piece of art.  They had the tree cut down to thirty feet and at first even considered creating a totem pole before discovering a funky artist and woodworker in Homosassa. Gil Watson spent 15 days working magic with his chainsaws, sanding, and then sealing the carving. Since Liz and Terry live on Crystal River near Three Sisters Springs, they made no other requests than that the carving include manatees, pelicans, and maybe a fish.  And Gil took over. The result was outstanding, born of Gil’s artistic vision, and their love of family and nature. Three manatees took shape clustered at the bottom, an anhinga looking down, and two pelicans, one large and one small at the top.  And as the piece took shape, so did its symbolism for Liz. The three manatees are their three daughters, and the anhinga looking down on his sisters, and keeping watch, is Junior, the son they lost last summer to Covid. Liz and Terry are represented by the two pelicans. A heart with a hole appeared just beneath the pelicans, and even a red fish was added at the base, symbolic of Terry’s and Junior’s love of fishing. Gil was just as surprised that his vision for this piece of wood evolved as it did and that it has such a surreal and deeper meaning for the Thompson family. It is hoped they find great solace and beauty whenever they look upon this masterly carved piece of art.