Creative tree stump carving created after the December tornado disaster

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- Many who experienced the devastating December tornados are recovering and rebuilding. From the ruins of one neighborhood, Lisa Kelly was able to discover beauty. This creative concept was born out of disaster, and now it is considered a street sensation.

Kelly says, “The tree itself made a huge mess in the front yard, and Joseph and his mother were over at my house helping me do stuff in the yard, and he was looking at the tree stump and he said, you know, you ought to turn that into like a fairy house or something. I said go for it. You know, have at it.”

Kelly couldn’t do it all by herself. She needed an artist with a different perspective, so she let an old friend work on the stump for four months. Joseph Spears, the artist behind the final result, tells us why he wanted to began the project.

He says, “It was like a huge eyesore. It looked like a tornado. It went through. So now it’s kind of something people come up and look at, and it’s not really reminding them of what happened. It’s just something cool and magical now.”

The magic that is being created in this front yard is more than just something to look at. It’s also giving people a reason to smile. The homeowner also shares how people react when they see the magical creation.

Kelly says, “They drive by, slow down, stop point, smile, wave at me. If they see me out on the front porch and the people that walk by, they always look at it and smile. It always puts a smile on everybody’s face that I see when I see them walking or driving by. It’s very heartwarming.”

This massive transformation is more than a work of art. It is one small piece of the community that is being placed back together in a creative way.