The Painted Tree

By now you may have seen the tree that someone painted in their front yard on 26^th Street between Slide and Chicago.  You might even be among the many that stopped to take pictures of it. What you might not know is that tree belongs to LCU’s very own Karen Randolph (Professor of Digital Media and Graphic Design in the Business Administration Department). The story behind ‘The Seraphim Spire’ centers on LCU alumni and finding the joy of the Lord again.

At one time there were three trees in Karen’s front yard but over the last five years they have each died from ‘honeylocust tree disease’. Karen said, “The death of each tree served as a temporal reminder of the length of life on earth”. The trees dying unfortunately coincided with the deaths of people she loved. The last of these loved ones was her best friend since their freshman year at LCU, Judy Swift Newton (’76).

After grieving the loss of her dear friend for months it was time for a change. Karen decided to create a sculpture to symbolize the joy we find in the Lord, and she knew the right artist for the job. Karen asked her former LCU student, Aaron Price (’06), if he would be interested in helping her take on this project, and with excitement in his eyes, he said yes.

        The rendering of 'The Seraphim Spire"              Aaron working on the boom

“[Aaron] listens to the LORD,” Karen answers when asked why she chose this student.  “[Aaron’s] strength, craftsmanship, and technique was needed to trim the branches into a form resembling a fire of alms rising to the heavens.”

Inspired by the seraphim who stood above the throne of God described in Isaiah chapter six, Karen aimed to paint the dead wood in her front yard to “celebrate God’s life in us and in those who have gone on before us.”

Aaron had creative control of the color with the exception that gold had to be the color at the top of the sculpture. The colors were selected to represent specific elements. “Gold for the glory and honor to the highest are in the highest parts of the tree, red and yellow just below the gold for the billowing flames, and the blue and green for sky and earth.”

While the bright colors call for attention and there have been many people driving slowly by, it is Karen’s hope that you get the same joy from “The Seraphim Spire” that she does each day.

“When I step out in the morning, I laugh. When I drive up and all the trees around are brown, I see this tree and I laugh.  JOY JOY JOY,” Karen exclaims.