Joan Pollak, a Newtown, Connecticut artist whose work appears in local galleries and private collections, specializes in animal art created from locally sourced, hand-painted driftwood. She looks to each piece of wood to reveal the animal hidden within, then she helps it emerge to express its unique, often whimsical personality. The result: one-of-kind hanging and freestanding animal sculptures – ranging from those of the barnyard variety to the African veldt.