The Christian Science Monitor

With giant trolls, one artist preserves imagination – and the environment

Artist Thomas Dambo poses with Lilja at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens on May 13, 2021. Mr. Dambo has created dozens of unique trolls across the world, including in China, South Korea, and Puerto Rico.

Call it a troll safari. In the woods of Maine, a family of three is searching for creatures from Scandinavian folklore. Shaad and Andrea Breau survey a trail map as their young daughter, Eidi, bounds ahead of them. They won’t need binoculars to spot the trolls. This species would dwarf a Mack truck.

“Look, Mama,” exclaims Eidi, pointing at a 20-foot-tall wood sculpture of a troll looming between several pines. It’s like a scene out of Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.”

“Is it made out of a tree?” asks Eidi.

Danish eco-artist

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