Most folk are captivated by the works of the esteemed sculptors Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth as they wander around England’s revered — and historical — Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

For Vancouver artist Ross den Otter, who was travelling in the Old Country with relatives, it was an old oak that took centre stage.

“It’s certainly funny to take a photo of a tree when there’s millions of dollars’ worth of Henry Moore sculptures spread out all over the grounds,” he chuckles, referring to his poetically named photograph, When I was young I would lean into the wind, now I just stand up straight.

“But it was undeniably the strongest, most robust tree that I have photographed in the past year, which have mainly been about young trees in Strathcona [where he lives]. So it really stood out.”

His process is far from simple: Starting with a hardwood panel that he coats with plaster, den Otter then takes a black and white photograph and transfers the carbon from the laser print into the plaster. He seals, or overpaints, the plaster with acrylic paint and coats with an epoxy resin. “It’s all about increasing the contrast and tonalities,” comments the Langara-educated commercial photographer, who was mentored by long-established theatre/dance photographer David Cooper.

Another tree-focused piece is called One, MacLean Park, where he works with a photographic print which he lies face down in a bed of acrylic gel. Once it dries, he washes the paper off the print, leaving the pigment suspended in the gel, which he then seals and overpaints.

“I used to work a lot with Polaroid transfers in the Nineties, but with that becoming harder to find, I had to come up with alternative processes that were similar in feeling,” he explains.

Although the regular Eastside Culture Crawl exhibitor, whose company is called Nuovofresco, paints more than trees, the future of arboretums is very important to him. Given the choice, for example, he’ll paint on recycled doors. “I like to use existing panels that I can re-purpose in my work,” adds the artist, who is often spied Eastside on his electrically powered motorcycle. “I certainly try to be very mindful of what I am doing. I don’t like to waste anything.”

Den Otter, who was born in Port Alberni and raised in the Comox Valley, thinks Vancouver is in a good space in terms of artists. “It’s an interesting place and there’s a good community, which is very supportive,” he says, “although you do end up competing with the landscape a great deal – and it’s hard to beat mountains and ocean.”

Ross den Otter can be reached at Nuovofresco, 830 Union Street (604-872 3206; nuovofresco.com). Coming shows include The Urban Shape at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, 1895 Venables Street. It is scheduled Feb. 14 to March 6.

It was only meant to be used as a display item, but the Mini Bloom wooden “stump” table has taken on a retail life of its own. In its inaugural year, its creator, Vancouver-based mth woodworks, has already wooed fans with its full-sized table – including an undisclosed Canadian rock star. (They will not reveal the name, but say the individual is a member of a “very famous” band.)

“We really didn’t make the mini versions to sell them at all; it was only meant to be for us to show when we travel to trade shows and at events like the Eastside Culture Crawl,” explains Vancouverite Mike Host, who has always worked in wood here and in Brooklyn, Switzerland and Australia. “It was an absolute surprise.”

The weird thing, he continues, was the way people reacted to it. “It was quite astounding – they really didn’t know what to make of it, and suddenly people were coming up with all these ideas, like wanting them for their desks, to house their iPhones, and other storage.”

It has been shipped as far as Germany, adds Tanja Hinder, his partner in life, as well as in the studio. “We’re having a lot of fun working together,” Host pipes up, while adding: “Of course, it’s hard to come home and put work away. That’s the main challenge, but we both love what we do.”

Mth woodworks’ latest actual planned-for creation is the cutting board. “We were discovering things about the materials we were using, such as the organic resin, that it’s a completely food-safe product so we thought about creating inlays in the boards,” Host explains. The boards are nicknamed the “Steve McQueen of design” for their catchy go-faster racing stripes. Originally from Switzerland, Hinder has experience in marketing and product development, and trained in interior design at BCIT. “Everything in my career has come around again,” she adds.

Reflecting on the first year in business, they are happy they are off to a good start. “As Buddha says,” Host proffers, “‘If you’re facing the right way, just keep walking.’”

Mini Blooms are $200 each and chopping boards cost $179 (for 18 inches by 10 inches) or $129.00 (seven by 12) by mth woodworks, 120-1000 Parker Street, Vancouver (604-720 8693; mthwoodworks.com)

Special to The Sun