TAOS, NEW MEXICO
ABOUT
The main goal of my work is to try to come to a point where there is harmony between Man and Nature. We live in a time when the conflict between Man and Nature is at a critical point, perhaps the most critical in the history of Mankind.
Hopefully, this division will narrow and come to a point of unity and harmony. A goal of achieving a point of perfection between the two may not be attainable, but it is definitely worth the attempt. I first gained an appreciation of trees in my youth. I grew up on the Llano Estacado, the Staked Plain of Eastern New Mexico and West Texas.
This was the area Coronado crossed in 1540 – a flat, featureless area that was devoid of trees. Growing up in an area that had few trees gave me an appreciation and a love for them. Their absence deepened their value to me.
I began working with wood furniture about 20 years ago. Four years ago my work evolved into creating wood sculptures out of felled wood that Nature left for me to discover during walks in nearby forests. My only guide is the wood must be interesting. When I return to my studio and begin to work with the wood, it usually establishes a communication with me and I begin to see the possibilities. Initially, I rarely envision exactly what the sculpture will look like when completed.
The work is an evolutionary process. Ultimately, Nature is the master artist. I am but the instrument that reveals it. I love the work I am involved with now. I enjoy going into the forest and finding wood in its natural setting. Much of the wood that I find is in varying states of decay. It is very gratifying to take a piece of Nature that may decay and disappear from the world forever and resurrect it as a work of art. When I work on a piece of wood, I find other bits of nature within it.
I find accumulations of dirt and sawdust from the woodpecker’s pecking, spider webs, moth wings, mouse hair and evidence of other signs of Nature that have been a part of the tree. I think of the extremes of weather and events the tree has endured - blizzards, freezes, floods, fires, droughts, insects, disease, and man-made assaults which have impacted its life, but yet it has endured. It is a pleasure to share my work with others so they may also enjoy and appreciate these bits of Nature.
I am fortunate to live in Taos, New Mexico, a place of great natural beauty with vast vistas. I find my surroundings inspiring and comforting. It is a place of spiritual beauty with more than a thousand year history from the pre-Puebloan people to the present. Their care and love of the Earth in this beautiful place is ever present in our daily lives. I am thankful to live here and work with Nature to create my unique, one-of-a-kind wood sculptures.