Wire Trees

I feel wired up today...wired about wire tree sculptures, that is. Okay that was a cheesy opening line, I must declare. In between making shadowboxes, altered bottles, collages, and altered clocks I like making wire trees. I like wire, because it's fun, interesting and so forgiving. I like making wire wrap jewelry pieces, trees sculptures and integrating into other mixed media art pieces. Today I won't show discuss how it's made in great detail because each piece is uniquely made, but will give the basic how a wire is made.

I like to 24 gauge gauge wire; I believe, using using a  thicker gauge will make it hard to bend the wire by hand. Start out by cutting a bunch of pieces of wire the same length and  and divide it half and twist, this makes the trunk. Leave about two inches untwisted, this will be the roots. . Then continue to split sections and twist, this makes the branches. Whatever size the wire is cut to, the tree will end up at half the length. For instance if all your wires are 12 inches, the tree will end up at around 6 inches, not including the roots and length includes the top of the branches. Do not use pliers to bend because it nicks the wire. The trees in these pictures are made using 24 gauge wire and uses around 72 to 112 individually cut pieces of wire. Always leave extra wire for the roots; it will be needed to attach to something, like wrapping on a rock or gluing to a surface.

This wire tree is part of shadowbox and  around 2.5 inches in height.

I used a handmade paper paper made of mango leaves for the stand. I like how the green contrast the copper tree. This tree is around 4 inches height. 

This is dramatic windblown tree measuring around 5 inches in height.

This an 1.5 inch tree inside a clay pendant and filled with resin. 

Chipped purple beads are used as leaves for this copper tree and wrapped on a rock and is around 3 inches in height.