Knotweed: Not Safe

14 x 18 x 15 inches, handspun and commercial wool yarns, wire

Knotweed: Not Safe entices with its beauty, just as the plant itself does. I love the curves of the broad, vaguely heart-shaped leaves. I knit young leaves in bright yellow-green and mature leaves in calm medium green. For the stems I chose a sickly gold color. To emphasize danger, and provide a little humor, I placed a mulberry-colored hand at the base of the plant – with plant stems piercing the fingers. Knotweed: Not Safe is a warning to be careful with plants. A beauty transplanted to the wrong place can create havoc. This sculpture raises awareness of one dangerous invasive species. Identification is the first step toward control and eradication.

As a gardener I take delight in the beauty of cultivated landscapes filled with carefully arranged shapes and color. As an environmentalist I find joy in nature’s wild places filled with birds, fish, and other animals. Sometimes gardens and nature collide. Knotweed: Not Safe was inspired by such a collision.

Japanese Knotweed was brought to Europe as a decorative garden plant in the 1850s. Today it is considered one of the world’s most invasive species. Incredibly prolific, Japanese Knotweed’s bamboo-like stems grow up to nine feet tall in dense thickets. Its vicious roots have been known to tunnel beneath highways and pierce building foundations. Choking out native plants, it creates a monoculture that destroys the natural habitat of many animals.

This piece would make a great conversation starter for any gardener or environmentalist. It would look great on a sideboard, end table, or shelf. This work received the First Place, Mary R. Koch Memorial Award, 2015 National Fiber Directions Exhibition, Wichita Center for the Arts

Free shipping in the continental U.S. For personal delivery options, contact me at eve@evejacobs-carnahan.com.

Artwork and images ©2014 Eve Jacobs-Carnahan; photo by Paul Rogers, Stowe VT