“Tree and Three Flowers” on Kirby Drive (image adapted from Google Maps)
In its efforts to beautify the area, the Upper Kirby District commissioned artist James Surls to create a new public sculpture. The result was a 35-foot sculpture called “Tree and Three Flowers.” It is planted on an esplanade near 2727 Kirby Dr. across from a high rise building.
“Tree and Three Flowers” weighs more than 7,000 pounds. The bronze base was cast at a foundry in Loveland, Colorado, and the steel petals were fabricated in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The stems were bent locally at Houston Pipe Bending.
In an April 7, 2014 Houston Chronicle article, Surls said of his sculpture, “It’s flowing, organic, even voluptuous. The vase is an extraordinary important symbol in the human spiritual world; it’s life-giving.”
The sculpture was funded by the Upper Kirby District. Including moving and installation, “Tree and Three Flowers” cost $850,000.
James Surls was born in 1943, in Terrell, Texas. He graduated from Sam Houston State Teachers College (now Sam Houston State University) and Cranbrook Academy of Art. He taught at Southern Methodist University and the University of Houston. Surls and his wife, Charmaine Locke, also an artist, have lived in Carbondale, Colorado since 1997.
Surls has other sculptures in Houston. “Standing Vase With Five Flowers” is located at the Houston Parks and Recreation Department at 2999 S. Wayside. The Rice University campus has “Again, the Tree, Knot, Flower, and Me” on the Herring Hall lawn, and “Walking Molecular Flower” near the BioSciences Research Collaborative.
James Surls has exhibited his work both in the United States and internationally.
The Upper Kirby District hopes to install more artwork in the future. Houston has many attractive buildings and structures. Adding more artwork helps to enhance that beauty.
