Dorothy Gill Barnes
Artist
Artist
I'm not quite sure when I got to know Dorothy Gill Barnes. I knew her art work before I knew her. I believe it was in the mid to late 1970s that I saw a piece she had in the Columbus Art League exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art. I believe it was a large basket - an amazing piece.
While Dorothy became known for her baskets, she explored other techniques manipulating wood. Some did not want her to stop making baskets but she had to listen to her artistic muse and keep exploring her creative spirit. It has been amazing to watch her art evolve over the years, and it still does. She is an inspiring artist.
Here are Dorothy and Sherrill at the Chadwick Arboretum Open House in 2008.
She has been working with the Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens as it offers her connections and opportunities to plants of all kinds. She is primarily interested in woody plants and when a tree is ready for the mulch pile or pruning, sometimes she is alerted to come and see if it is something she can work with. She has worked with our willows when they are ready to be coppiced for rejuvenation in the spring. This is also the time when the sap is wetter and makes the bark easy to peel.
Here are Dorothy and Sherrill at the Chadwick Arboretum Open House in 2008.
She has been working with the Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens as it offers her connections and opportunities to plants of all kinds. She is primarily interested in woody plants and when a tree is ready for the mulch pile or pruning, sometimes she is alerted to come and see if it is something she can work with. She has worked with our willows when they are ready to be coppiced for rejuvenation in the spring. This is also the time when the sap is wetter and makes the bark easy to peel.
Dorothy identifies specific cuts for Sharon Treaster to make on the willow branches. We do not often see what she sees in the branches to make art. 
In the late winter/early spring of 2009 strong winds blew over several Lacebark pines (Pinus bungeana) in the Olentangy Corridor section of the OSU Chadwick Arboretum. They have beautiful exfoliating bark. She calls the tree Lacybark pine. Chadwick horticuturist, Mike Pfeiffer was able to stow the fallen tree and protect its roots until at after several months, the sap would flow making the bark easier to peel. He assisted her in making appropriate cuts for her to work with. She also was working with several OSU sculpture students.
She has worked as an artist-in-residence at OSU's Glass Department for several years now. She instructs glass students on what shapes she would like for them to craft to compliment her wood formed pieces. They get to see an artist at the height of her career make art and observe the creative process.
Dorothy with her exhibited work at Franklin Park Conservatory, Fall 2008. She was selected as one of the artists to be featured in an exhibition entitled, Bending Nature.
http://www.fpconservatory.org/bendingnature.htm
Dorothy with Sharon Treaster and Charles Massey, Jr. at the Chadwick Pancake Breakfast event in February 2009.
This past December Dorothy gave a presentation at the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington where her work was exhibited. http://www.mcconnellarts.org/
She collects tree portions that have marks on them from lightening strikes or other inflictions. She likes the marks animals make on wood and has a collection of their markings. The piece below is from a tree near her house that was marked by a hammering sapsucker that would keep her awake. After the tree came down she saved the "necklace" of holes the sapsucker made. When she hears a chain saw going somewhere, she is on alert to see what treasures may be up for grabs.
At her talks she usually brings her little well worn box full of beautiful treasures from nature that she collects and uses to create her art.
Someone gave her a Tauga nut from the rainforest region. It is referred to as vegetable ivory. Below are some samplings of the way it can be carved.
http://www.oneworldprojects.com/products/tag_mulsafr.shtml
Commonly buttons are made from the tauga nut.
http://1creativeone.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/tagua1.jpg
more of Dorothy's crafted treasures:
In the late winter/early spring of 2009 strong winds blew over several Lacebark pines (Pinus bungeana) in the Olentangy Corridor section of the OSU Chadwick Arboretum. They have beautiful exfoliating bark. She calls the tree Lacybark pine. Chadwick horticuturist, Mike Pfeiffer was able to stow the fallen tree and protect its roots until at after several months, the sap would flow making the bark easier to peel. He assisted her in making appropriate cuts for her to work with. She also was working with several OSU sculpture students.
She has worked as an artist-in-residence at OSU's Glass Department for several years now. She instructs glass students on what shapes she would like for them to craft to compliment her wood formed pieces. They get to see an artist at the height of her career make art and observe the creative process. 
Dorothy with her exhibited work at Franklin Park Conservatory, Fall 2008. She was selected as one of the artists to be featured in an exhibition entitled, Bending Nature.http://www.fpconservatory.org/bendingnature.htm
Dorothy with Sharon Treaster and Charles Massey, Jr. at the Chadwick Pancake Breakfast event in February 2009.
This past December Dorothy gave a presentation at the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington where her work was exhibited. http://www.mcconnellarts.org/ 
She collects tree portions that have marks on them from lightening strikes or other inflictions. She likes the marks animals make on wood and has a collection of their markings. The piece below is from a tree near her house that was marked by a hammering sapsucker that would keep her awake. After the tree came down she saved the "necklace" of holes the sapsucker made. When she hears a chain saw going somewhere, she is on alert to see what treasures may be up for grabs.
At her talks she usually brings her little well worn box full of beautiful treasures from nature that she collects and uses to create her art.
Someone gave her a Tauga nut from the rainforest region. It is referred to as vegetable ivory. Below are some samplings of the way it can be carved.
http://www.oneworldprojects.com/products/tag_mulsafr.shtmlCommonly buttons are made from the tauga nut.
http://1creativeone.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/tagua1.jpgmore of Dorothy's crafted treasures:
