Byron Anderson makes magic in the forest.

Equipped with a pair of pliers, an old tray, dyed moss, a pot of enamel, and a supply of wire (usually secondhand, recycled from construction sites), Anderson creates his own forest of sculptures – windblown, whimsical trees clinging to bark, rock or crystal outcrops. The effect is spectacular.

Starting with many strands of wire (usually copper, occasionally silvery alloys that tarnish to add texture with time), Anderson forms the trunk and roots of the tree, then affixes the roots to the base. Branches, leaves and/or blossoms follow in organic procession. Each species or style is achieved with a specific technique or combination of work tools, and after 12 years of development Anderson says he is “still inventing effects to simulate more varieties. Each new idea invokes the next innovation.”

Visitors to his tiny stand at the Gibsons Sunday Market watch in awe as he quietly applies enamel “leaves” to a tiny metal jade tree that will take its place alongside the windswept willows, gnarled arbutus, pines and outgrowths of Anderson’s fertile imagination. Most of the work on his table, though, is created in his studio in the forests of Mount Elphinstone, overlooking Georgia Strait.

Trees feature heavily on the Anderson family crest, which hung over the family mantel from his earliest childhood. He speculates that the crest, along with the motto “Stand Sure,” worked its way into his subconscious and influenced his preference of subject. While he does create stick figures and animals from time to time, Anderson’s first love is trees.

Using wire as a creative medium started in childhood. After watching a glass sculptor at work in a mall, Anderson thought “I can do that!” He went home and began experimenting, applying the fluid shapes of glass to soft metal wire. Along the way, he also incorporated techniques of the traditional Chinese craft of applying stone bead or pebble “leaves” or “blossoms” to brass wire trees.

But Anderson’s ability to capture wind in metal is particularly striking. His first “windswept” work arose from a high school Metal Art project, creating a bare-wire tree from steel mounted on driftwood. Painstakingly working the design of the tree’s roots into the natural pattern of the wood’s surface, Anderson developed his signature style. Each of his works “grows” from its base, accentuating whatever medium is chosen.

Windsong Gallery owner Veronica Mannix was so captivated by his work, she’ll be showcasing it at the in-store gallery space. The exhibit, entitled “Tree” (using the Japanese symbol as the title) is scheduled to open Thursday, July 14. The sculptures, displayed on specially-designed “altar pieces” fabricated by Tito Prescott and complimented by Adrian Zator’s nature photography will be part of a must-see, breathtaking show of work at this newly-renovated gallery space.

Anderson’s work is also available at Jack’s Lane Bistro in Gibsons, Object Design at the Creekhouse and Dragonspace on Vancouver’s Granville Island.