Some people see nature as art. Some people use nature to make art. Others do both. Gary Hinman makes art from driftwood in nature.

Hinman, an art teacher at Eudora High School, made an impressive driftwood arch along the blue trail in Clinton State Park.

The project began after the flood of 1995 when he tossed a stick on to a fallen branch. Every time he rode his mountain bike along that piece of trail he added to the pile. He said he became quite interested in the driftwood that was abundant along that stretch of trail. The scheme became more than just tossing sticks over a limb.

During the course of the next few years he managed to build an arch that is 10 feet high and 12 feet long using the weathered wood that washed ashore. While working on that last phase of the arch he became particular about the looks of the pieces he selected. They had to "be cool, with interesting shapes and swirls", he told me.

Hinman found driftwood so fascinating that he has made sculptures using the wood. "I like the way it looks", he said. "Some pieces look like people's faces." The finished product is below Campground 1 and before the "Fredonia" white trail spur on the lower trail in the park. If you have an opportunity to hike or bike that part of the trail system please take time to notice this remarkable sculpture. You can't miss it. There is a bench (built by an arch admirer) nearby to encourage you to take a rest and feast your eyes on what nature and man have made.