An artist has recreated the felled Sycamore Gap as a 'tree of light' - to create a symbol of hope for the New Year.<br /><br />Claire Eason, 59, has spent three months perfecting a light replica of the much-adored tree, so it would outline its presence where it once stood tall - using "just one small drone".<br /><br />Claire, originally from South Sheales, is well-known for her beautiful sand art illustrations under Soul2Sand - creating designs on beaches across the North East for around five years.<br /><br />But the artist admits her inspiration for this new project lay in her admiration for the Sycamore tree - which was awarded the English Tree of the Year by the Woodland Trust in 2016 - and all that it represented.<br /><br />She explains how the tree held a special place in her heart, as well as countless of others, and her reaction when the tree was felled in September was total "shock and a huge sense of loss".<br /><br />Claire, who worked as a GP for 30 years in the Midlands and Nottinghamshire area, said: "I had been to the tree before - and had passed it many times as well.<br /><br />"We just thought it would outlive anybody! I saw it as a landmark, the same way as I see the Angel Of the North or the Tyne Bridge.<br /><br />"But what made it so unique and special was that it was a living landmark.<br /><br />"It had been woven into the lives of so many people who had seen it, and even those who hadn't - they would have definitely come across it in incredible Aurora photographs, the Robin Hood movie - it still meant something to them.<br /><br />"The tree distills everything about being a human - it was a place of celebration, memorial where people scattered ashes - parents introducing their kids to nature, history."<br /><br />Though after the tree had been felled, what struck Claire initially was she was still able to envision the natural wonder in her mind's eye.<br /><br />She explained: "The spirit of the tree was still present, and one way of representing that spirit would be through light - and that began the project which took some time!"<br /><br />Claire, who had spent around three years dabbling with light painting and drones, said the process was "laborious" and involved "many mistakes and many hours".<br /><br />The artist got to work in October using a drone, a camera, her laptop and a tripod - but to practice the creation she needed somewhere more accessible, so she completed three earlier tests over the sea at Beadnell.<br /><br />Claire, who compared the process to drawing a heart or writing your name with a sparkler, said: "It was just one drown flown on a specific flight path, captured by long exposure.<br /><br />"It only lasts as long as the light is moving - it is the most transient thing in the world.<br /><br />"There is also no light pollution - no more than fell runner uses with their headtorch going over Hadrian's Wall.<br /><br />"I had a clear idea of what I wanted - a simple outline.<br /><br />"I started with pen and tracing paper, and from there, used google earth to create a flat image and then rotated that to 90 degrees to make it a vertical image.
