Biography
My sculpture is inspired by a primal force that exists within high altitude forests. Especially, there is a spirit in trees that reveals itself in objective form 10-20 years after it has been burned or died, fallen to the forest floor and the outer bark and pulp layers have decayed away. I harvest the nearly fossilized inner heartwood which is buried in the earth beneath the natural detritus.
My work begins with the formal elements of the tree‘s inner core. The graceful and sweeping lines, flowing curves, and whorls of wood grain impress upon me the archetypal possibilities of artistic expression. I find a meaningful relationship between the inner, structural beauty and mystery of trees, and our own inner anatomical and mindful spirit.
I use hand and power tools, a variety of pigments, paints, resin suspensions, and mica powders to develop layers of reflective patina in my artwork. I construct large and small individual pieces, as well as, indoor and outdoor installations. My sculpture is a means of recovering the inner spirit of the tree and forest, bringing it to life again, and revealing its extant artistic form and meaning.
Personally, my re-creations of the trees are the most believable representation of life after death that I have encountered. I work intense and intimately with the wood forms by hand, with my body and muscles, and all of my senses until their spiritual light scintillates anew in a resurrected life that is entirely different from the tree’s original physiological existence.
