Please come out to hear about my experiences and see my latest artwork at the Education Building at Bernheim.

Invite friends and family and I look forward to seeing you there.

If you didn’t get a chance to see my talk, please watch my Flickr slideshow to see the images. Click “Show Info” at the top right of the page to view the captions for each image. Thanks

You can also follow my progress and tree climbs on Twitter @dailyclimb
Or view my portfolio here

04.16.10

El Palo Alto. The redwood that the city is named for. It is a massive tree with two distinctive trunks. It was the landmark used by a large expedition of 63 men and 200 horses on their way from San Diego to Monterey in 1769.

I would like to tell you that I climbed that one. But I didn’t. I climbed another, single-trunked redwood just meters away. Ben stood nearby to watch as I ascended almost 100 feet into the very top of the tree. The branches angled downward and became thinner and bendier as I got near the top. I did my best to stay secure to take the pictures.

Then, once plenty of shots were taken, and the view thoroughly taken in, I climbed down before my arms got too fatigued. My highest climb to date!

04.17.10

A fun day. A drive through more redwoods to a beach with two dogs and one of Ben’s co-workers.

Max

Olive

Then back to Palo Alto to see De La Soul on the Stanford campus for a free (and substance free) concert. In which, we brought mini Mickey’s malt liquor bottles and did our best to conceal till we were tattled on and bolted from the scene.

On our walk out we stopped at the perfect tree for a group climb. Strangely, and without planning, there were a lot of hands in this shot.

Then we went out that night to eat and drink and be stupid and at some point this happened:

04.18.10

Took a long walk that night and found an empty parking lot with a nice row of pine trees along the edge. It was peaceful and quiet and I remember being very aware of every little sound.

04.19.10

Back to Stanford for a nice midday walk. I ambled off the promenade looking for an Eucalyptus tree to climb. One of the 3 tallest trees in the world, next to Redwoods and Giant Sequoias. They were a transplant from Australia to California back in the early 20th Century. They grew fast and tall and were planted as wind breaks in the blustery valleys and hills. They can grow up to 10 feet a year.

I finally found one and took special care to brush all the hanging loose bark away so I wouldn’t slip. This Eucalyptus was rare since it offered me a path up high. Most trees I surveyed had massive trunks but no limbs for many feet.

After climbing down, I walked further through the arboretum to a small patch of rare dessert plants. some cacti had a beautiful flowers on the tops.

Then from there found another massive Eucalyptus to climb up just about 15 feet to write some postcards. Practiced some parkour on an outdoor workout area, then back to Ben’s apartment. Stanford has a very extensive and beautiful campus.

04.20.10

On my last full day in California I went on a long walk with Ben and his girlfriend. Ben joined me in this sprawling tree. The rest of the walk was spent talking about my art career and ways in which I may expand into other markets and increase my marketing practice. It’s nice to have such supportive and helpful friends.

04.21.10

Rain. I packed up my bags and walked to the train station. I picked a tree just past the footpath under the tracks. As I walked up the leafy hill to the tree I fell from the weight of my pack right as someone was walking by. Ugh! The shame.

I threw my pack into the tree and then climbed in after it. I spent my time in the tree reflecting on my whole trip and looking ahead to my life back in Louisville. Then I jumped back down, got on my train onto San Jose Airport, transferred in Las Vegas and then was back home.

What would the future bring? Well, an end to the streak…but more to come on that soon.

After the Redwoods, climbing a little tree in the city just doesn’t seem to have the same grandeur. And now, looking back over a year ago with only my memory to serve as the narrator of this journey, much has been lost. Where I didn’t take pictures I can only guess as to where I climbed. I believe I climbed in front of the Art Museum on the Stanford Campus on the 7th. And I climbed a tree some where near Ben’s old apartment in Palo Alto on the 9th. I believe those are the only holes I need to fill. I was in a strange mind on some days, but as the beautiful California days rolled on I picked up my camera more and more and felt my spirits rise as I searched further for challenging trees.

04.08.10

Here in the Mission District of San Francisco, I climbed on a sunny evening after a long walk around with Rachel.

04.10.10

Ben and I were invited to a pre-game party in the city, then walked to the Giants game. We had the highest seats but thankfully no bloody noses. Without my contacts I would have seen nothing but the people around me. As it was, I didn’t pay much attention anyway. Baseball isn’t my game…but the experience was a good one.

Hopping off the train in Palo Alto, Ben watched as I climbed a tree near the entrance of the long promenade of Stanford’s main campus.

04.11.10

A block or two down University Ave. in Palo Alto. The silhouettes of palm trees around the grand lit house is so foreign to me.

04.12.10

A night walk with Ben and Macy. They talked quietly as I took care of my daily arboreal practice. Florescent lights from the convenient store just next to the tree were too bright but made for easier shots from the high branches.

04.13.10

Ben and I drove through the East Bay and we stopped at this park. This collection of posts is some art piece. No info to tell me what it was about though.

I think this was the day we met Ben’s grandfather, uncle and cousin for a sailboat trip around the Bay. Then to a fancy private club for a glass of whiskey before our nice Italian dinner. If it wasn’t this day, no matter, it was around then. And we all got driven around in a Rolls Royce. Surreal. Plus I was wearing Ben’s sport coat and if anyone knows Ben, he’s MUCH bigger than me.

I also climbed a tree in Palo Alto before we left. It feels good to me to have days where my tree climb wasn’t the most exciting thing I did.

04.14.10

A walk from Ben’s to a nearby playground in Palo Alto with his roommates and a fellow high school teacher of his. The playground had a large concrete slide that was 8 feet wide. It wasn’t very slippery so there were little torn up pieces of cardboard all strewed about that you had to use as a sliding aide. Should have taken a picture of that. Beautiful clear night, however.

04.15.10

Tax Day. I remember driving to the Tesla dealership to see the fancy all-electric roadsters. They were pretty sweet. Along the way we passed a hoard of old white people carrying Tea Party signs and shouting at cars. Blecht.

Later that evening Ben, Macy and I went to a talk on the future of education at Stanford. We walked around the campus and saw some amazing plants in their arboretum. But Ben and I were more interested in trying to get some cool shots of him jumping for his band photos.

And, of course, I climbed a tree that night. Somewhere a few blocks from Ben’s. It was high up, I transferred into a smaller tree on the way down. I remember feeling spry.

This Trip 2010 catch up will soon conclude. I apologize for this long hiatus and very belated report. My relationship with blogging and this tree-climbing project has been a long and ever-changing one. The end is nigh.

Please attend my gallery talk and reception on Thursday April 14th from 6-9pm at Zephyr Gallery.

Please come to the talk to hear more stories about the shoots and how the series was created.

HAUNT

Gallery Talk
Thursday April 14th
6-9pm

Zephyr Gallery
610 E. Market St.
Louisville, KY 40202
502-585-5646

Gallery hours: Wed-Sat 11-6

C.10
03/11/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

C.12
03/17/2011
Cherokee Park
6 x 9 in.
dye-sublimation on board

Top Image
C.4
03/17/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

HAUNT

Todd C. Smith &
Michelle Kellond Amos
Exhibition open April 1st – May 14th 2011

Opening Reception
First Friday Trolley Hop
April 1st, 6 to 9pm

Gallery Talk
Thursday April 14th
6 to 9pm

The latest offering from tree-climber artist Todd Smith is part photography, part performance documentation.

Todd climbs into a tree, secures his cocoon on a branch and crawls inside with a light.
In collaboration with Natalie Biesel, the long-exposure photos were composed from secluded Louisville locations, including
Cherokee Park.

Trying to imagine a world where human existence is dependent upon climbing trees,
Smith creates scenarios of a fantastical human-like creature in a pupal stage of development shining
with life from the limbs.

Zephyr Gallery
610 E Market St
Louisville, KY 40202
502-585-5646

Gallery open
Wed – Sat 11am- 6pm

Cocoon Series

C.6
03/17/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

C.7
02/18/2011
Seneca Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

C.8
02/28/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

Top Image
C.5
03/02/2011
Cherokee Park
4 x 6 in.
dye-sublimation on board

04.05.10
Traveling with dogs requires frequent and welcome stops. Route 101 stretches all along the west coast. During the summer months the Oregon stretch has the highest congestion of travelers over all other roads in the country. (According to Rand McNally.) But for this cool and cloudy April day the traffic was almost non-existent. We let the dogs play on the rocks at a scenic rest stop.

I was just starting to run around on the rocks and throw Abbey the frisbee when the rain started to fall. We all jumped back into the VW Golf and headed on South down 101.

On another rainy stop I took a pick of the ocean with my cell phone. Living so far from any ocean in Louisville, KY, it is wonderful and calming to be next to one. Crisp, clean, cool air and an endless view. It’s actually quite similar to the feeling I get when I reach the very top of a very tall tree and look out onto the vast landscape.

We stopped in Brookings, OR for some pizza then continued on. We had brought gear for camping and had originally planned to drive to Crater Lake but the temperature there was 15F with snow and roads were being closed. So we stuck to the coast and decided to just get a hotel. We found a cheap place that welcomed pets just south of the Oregon/California border in Crescent City. Once settled, we took the dogs for their last walk of the day and I climbed a small tree near the parking lot. Sorry, no pictures.

04.06.10
Today was the big day. Route 101 is also known as the Redwood Highway. Once we got going that morning the trees that line the road got bigger the higher we climbed into the hills. I sat in the passenger seat with my mouth open constantly looking right and left at the massive trees. I really wish we had been in a convertible.

After a while we stopped in a visitors center to get a map and decide where to hike. We asked this old woman who worked there where the biggest trees were and she said they are all big. (Thanks for the help!) We drove a little while longer and stopped at another visitors center and decided to hike around there. The trees were definitely BIG!

But this was not my climb.

Unfortunately the trails didn’t allow dogs and we had to leave them in the car. So Rachel took her camera to record the experience for them.

We walked on and off the trail and I went most of the way with my head cranked way back. Incredible!

I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to climb one of these, but I was determined to figure it out. I was either looking for a young redwood that I could shimmy up to the lowest branch, or find two big ones close enough to each other to wedge myself in between and spider-crawl up. I saw a possibility and gave my camera to Rachel so that I could be in the photos. With trees this big, I wanted my body as a reference for relative size.

After scrambling up through some small undergrowth to the wedge between the trees, I was pretty much done. It was too high and unstable to spider-crawl up anything. And to what? The next closest limb looked 100 feet above me. I sat a while while Rachel got some shots then I scrambled back down and we walked around some more.

I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to move here. I felt I had found my place in the world. But like my tree climbs, I eventually climb down. I had to leave. But I knew I’d be back. Good bye redwoods.

I sat quiet in the car on the rest of the ride out of the Redwood Forest looking all around me like before. The trees began to thin and we detoured over to Route 1 which runs right along the coast. The day had turned clear and sunny and the ocean was smooth. It was a beautiful and fun drive…till the sun went down. Then the curving road started to make us both sick and irritated. We didn’t get to Palo Alto till almost midnight. It was a long but very memorable day.

Please stay tuned for the final leg of Trip 2010. San Francisco, Stanford, THE Palo Alto, and other awesome trees and adventures!

The train rolled into the Portland, Oregon station on a cool and cloudy late March morning. The 55 hour trip was over and I was greeted by my friend Rachel. We had some brunch and then headed back to the house where I used to live. I got to see my old dog, Abbey, and Rachel’s new edition to the family, Steve.

The west coast portion of my trip was starting. A few days in Portland and a road trip down the coast through the Redwood Forest to San Francisco. All soon to come. But first…Portland.

03.31.10

Right across the street from Rachel’s house is Lents Park. A nice stretch of green with basketball & tennis courts, soccer and baseball fields, a playground, community garden, dog off-leash area and plenty of climbable trees (many of which I had climbed in the past). I chose, in the late hour, to climb a tree I had climbed in November of 2007 when I had returned to Portland to retrieve my belongings and permanently move back to Kentucky. The hairy growth on the bark of the tree was a stark reminder of how moist and lush this part of the country can be.

04.01.10
On my first full day in town, Rachel & the dogs and I all took a quick ride to the Columbia River Gorge National Park to hike the Triple Falls Trail. Something I never found time to do when I lived there.

Multnomah Falls was visible just off the road near the welcoming center for the park. We stopped in the spotty rain and took a few pictures and visited the gift shop. Then we headed back out and found our trail head and started our hike. Everything was wet and the most brilliant green. It was incredible to have traveled across the entire country and seen only bare and brown and snow, then to be enveloped by the mossy green growth that just drips from every limb.

The hike was beautiful and Steve & Abbey definitely had a great time.

We turned the corner around a ridge and across a small valley saw Triple Falls.

On the hike back out Rachel informed me of the entire plot of all the Twilight books. Thanks, Rachel, for making it so that I never have the desire to read the books or see any more of the films.

I chose not to climb a tree at the park since all the trees seemed so delicately draped in the green moss. I did not want to disturb the scene nor did I want to slip and fall. So, once we were back in town I climbed a tree just after a yummy pizza dinner. The climb, though challenging and fun, did not yield much in the way of photos due to the lack of light.

04.02.10
Ever since I left Portland I have missed my rope. I put a nice fiber rope in a tree next to Rachel’s house and used to climb it for strength training. So once I had the chance I scurried up the rope and into the branches and took in the old familiar views.

04.03.10
29 years old. To celebrate we tortured ourselves by biking in freezing rain all the way downtown to the convention center for the Spring Beer & Wine Fest. I bought a cup and some tokens and got to tasting. I had some excellent beers and some mediocre ones. I ate cheap food and bought a ridiculous pair of purple sunglasses for $5. On the way out they had a breathalizer test you could take for a dollar. I blew a .24 which had to be a mistake. A .40 is the lethal dose for half the population and a .30 will put you in the hospital. And I wasn’t even that drunk. For most states a .08 is the limit for driving. And I was totally fine biking back to Rachel’s house. At least the beer helped keep my hands warm since I didn’t have gloves.

That night we had dinner and cake. Then I walked back out to Lents Park and looked high at the tree tops for a tree to call to me. At the far side, one very tall tree with white blossoms beckoned to me.

I made the difficult run off the trunk to grab the first limb then slowly made my way near the top.

I took some pictures then put my camera away to just enjoy the moment. I remember thinking how thankful I was for this dailyclimb project and how this climb meant that I had now completed 3 years of climbing every day.

04.04.10
On my last day in Portland I had a meal with Rachel’s family. We packed for the road trip down the coast and I climbed a tree. I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures. Rachel and I took Abbey & Steve to Lents Park to play fetch. After wearing the dogs out I walked over to a tall cedar tree. This is also a tree I had climbed before in November of 2007. As I often do, I reclimbed the tree to compare the experiences. The memories flooded back as I pulled myself through the limbs. A lot has changed in the last 3 years and I have much to thank for this daily practice.

Oregon Coast & my first trip to the Redwoods coming soon!

The morning came and I awoke to gray skies. We rumbled slowly through Gary, IN in what seemed an endless procession of industrial loading tracks and piles of steel and containers. I was listening to Camera Obscura’s Let’s Get Out of this Country album whose mood seemed to fit perfectly with the scenery. We entered the Chicago station and I exited the car with all my belongings with a 6 hour lay-over ahead of me. I decided to take a walk.

03.29.10

A coffee at Dunkin Donuts, then a stroll towards Lake MI and Grant Park. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was downtown but I know my way well enough once I hit the parks. After spending some time at the (what I call) Married With Children fountain, I climbed a tree. Thankfully it was still very cold and no one seemed to be out in the park.

Then I headed to Millennium Park and walked over Gehry’s winding bridge, across the amphitheater, and over to Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, or the big bean mirror.

After the outdoor art sculptures I was in the mood to see the Art Institute’s Museum. I walked into the building and stopped first in the gift shop. I had on my coat, my large backpack plus a messenger bag, and with my beard I must have looked like a homeless traveler because I was asked to leave. I had money and all I wanted to do was spend it there to view the art…but no. So I walked around outside a little while longer before heading back slowly, stopping in shops on the way back to the station to pick up some post cards and lunch.

After a long boring wait at Union Station, I finally boarded the Empire Builder train bound for Portland. Traveling on a budget, my ticket did not include a sleeping compartment. I had to establish a home on a seat and pack my bag with non-perishable food items.

There was a snack/viewing car and a dining car but the meals where all over $15 and the snacks also expensive for their quality. I picked my seat and spread out hoping to have both seats to sprawl out on during the fitful slumber. The constant moan and gentle rumble of the train rolling on the tracks is actually quite relaxing. The problem is the constant jerky, squeaking stops in small towns where all the smokers brush past my feet then return reeking of smoke.

The light dimmed through Wisconsin and I slept through most of Minnesota. I woke early and went to the snack car to get a coffee and watch the flat grassy fields zoom by. It is really amazing to see the country by train. I’ve driven from Louisville, KY to Seattle, WA via Interstate 90 but the view from the road seems so much more mundane than the rails. We passed right through small town main streets, behind farms and along lakes and streams. The impact of rails on the landscape is far less than the miles of concrete highways. I would sometimes go down to the first level of the train car to where the bathrooms and sleeper compartments were to stare out the door window. So much closer to the ground, the tan and brown sleeping farms with patches of snow swept by so much faster. I couldn’t tell you the speed of the train but the rushing scenery with the struggle to stand balanced without support was an enjoyable and thrilling ride. But all this I couldn’t really enjoy till I found a stop to climb.

In Minot, ND, we had a 45 minute smoke stop. I ran out of the car and went over near the small station.

03.30.10

I was so nervous I was going to be spotted and questioned I tried to pick a tree out of site. I picked in haste and found myself shimmying up the trunk of a smallish tree to the first branch, grabbed my camera out of my pocket and snapped just a few shots in a rush before sliding back down and feeling relieved the pressure of the loss of my streak was over, but disappointed in the caliber of my climb.

Around lunch I was back in the snack car looking out the large windows scanning the people looking for friendly faces to accomplish my next challenge. I saw two women around my age playing cards a few tables away. It took me about 30 minutes to build my courage before I walked over, slowly, nervous, heart pounding to say my rehearsed lines, “hey, can I join you?” I had gone through many other versions that included my name as an introduction and I debated whether “hi” or “hey” was a more relaxed opener. I paused awkwardly and swallowed in the middle of one of my words, but they smiled and said “of course!” We proceeded to get to know one another as I beat them handily at Phase 10. From that moment on, I would see them often back in our car or for snacks in the viewing car. One of them even bought a couple pairs of my crane earrings. They introduced me to a couple other people they had met. One guy lives in Portland and works for Trader Joe’s, and he explained why Kentucky probably would never get a store due to our outdated liquor laws. And I met a graffiti artist who has been traveling by train selling his works on paper for years. Challenge accomplished!

The sun started to set just as we were moving through Glacier Park. I spent most of the time in the viewing car listening to Sigur Ros trying to ignore the woman and man sitting next to me argue about the most inane things. The guy was drinking cans of Coors Light arguing that camping would be great out in the mountains passing by because you would be so secluded. She stated that it wasn’t her kind of camping, but he insisted that she was wrong and proceeded to make some argument about watching the History Channel and knowing no man had ever set foot on the particular mountain we happened to be passing. Despite the distraction, it was a beautiful way to end the day.

The night was long and a man ended up sitting down next to me right before I fell asleep forcing me to sit straight making it difficult to stay asleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. Luckily he got off in Spokane and I got a few more restful and sprawling hours of slumber before waking just before dawn to sit in the snack car alone with my cup of coffee to watch the sun rise over the Columbia River. This was by far the most amazing view and few hours of the entire trip. As the bright sun rose the lush green landscape was brilliant with colorful orchards and craggy and mossy cliffs. The two women I met the day before came and joined me for a while and we all had a very honest conversation about out lives. There is nothing like a long train ride to get to know strangers really well really fast.

Soon we were crossing the Columbia River from Vancouver, WA into Portland, OR. The trip was over but my West Coast adventure was just about to begin.

03.25.10

Prospect Park in Brooklyn, this time with Thomas Brown. Fellow Louisvillian and Ice Sculptor. Currently he lives in Brooklyn and it was great to meet up. We walked around the park catching up and looking for a good tree to climb. With a friend to boost my courage I chose a nice large tree next to a fairly trafficked path. As you can see in the pic above, Thomas warded away any concerned or angry parties with his stick on the ground below.

03.26.10

I climbed this cedar on a beautiful and sunny day in Central Park. The park was full of people enjoying the warming Spring days. I had just seen the most amazing exhibit at the Museum of Art & Design with Julia, my brother’s girlfriend in town from North Carolina. The show was called Slash and was 2 floors of the most incredible and intricate paper art. Best show I saw or have seen in NYC or anywhere for that matter. Favorite exhibition of all time!

03.27.10

My college friend Garret Kinsey cooked a large pork shoulder for a delicious meal to send me off on the rest of my journey. As the meat roasted in the oven we headed out to get hot sauce and climb a tree. Garret lives on the Upper East Side and we ventured over next to the river and stumbled onto the Mayor’s mansion. It’s funny because to Bloomburg, this must feel like a small cottage. I don’t think he stays there at all. So I felt no qualms in climbing a tree on the property. Plus, I had Garret there to keep an eye out:

The meal was delicious and shared with a wonderful group of friends. Thanks for the great send off guys!

03.28.10

On my last morning in NYC I went for a walk with Julia & Scott through SoHo and China Town. We stopped at the long strip of playgrounds and courtyards and I climbed this small tree. Scott & Julia sat below and I captured them in the midst of their conversation. One of my favorite shots from the trip.

My train ride from NYC to Portland, OR soon to come. Stay tuned…