TURNED WOOD OBJECTS
Everything I make is a conversation with a tree. Because every tree is unique, so is every form. My initial chainsaw cuts reveal the character of the wood, from burls to bug trails to contrasting colors between heartwood and sapwood. When the log goes on the lathe, I carve through the rings with my chisels, each ring a year gone by. Each layer is a discovery, and these discoveries inform the shape of the object. The form evolves as I work—I go where the wood leads me.
WORKS ON PAPER
My foray into printmaking began just a couple of years ago and inevitably the trees became my primary subject matter. I found that the figure ground relationship of the paper to the growth rings resembled other familiar visual patterns, like thumbprints and city street maps.
The prints are visually pleasing as well as striking depiction of the tree’s history. I’m also finding that the process itself is reinforcing the narrative I have long held about co-creating with the trees. I see the growth rings as patterns that weave into metaphors for loss, existence and the web of connection.
