Artist Alex Cook hides ‘illusion’ paintings along nature trails in Boston’s Franklin Park

The artwork blends into its surroundings. But if passersby spot it, they’re bound to do a double take.

By Steve Annear Globe Staff,Updated March 2, 2023, 1:38 p.m.

Artist and muralist Alex Cook painted two illusion paintings that he placed in Boston’s Franklin Park. One was recently stolen from the tree it leaned against.JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF

When Jeffrey Jacobs went for a stroll along the trails in Boston’s Franklin Park last month, on a day when winter briefly gave way to spring, he expected to see the usual brown and beige leaves blanketing the ground, bare trees towering overhead, and a smattering of wildlife.

But something else caught his attention that day: A clever piece of camouflaged artwork, just off the beaten path.

The large painting perfectly matched its surroundings, but made it appear as if the trunks of the two trees it leaned against had been partially removed, replaced by a stack of gray stones and a twig wedged between the missing parts as if holding them up.

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