The photo-sculptures in this series came together in different ways. On the earliest hikes, I was not thinking about making art. I was just enjoying nature and snapping a few images here and there. Once I decided to make the series, I paid more attention to the images. I made conscious choices to photograph trees that might mimic the found wood I had been using in my sculptures for years. At times, I would snap a photo and then immediately have an idea for a sculpture. But more often, I took lots of pictures and then later, back in the studio, would print out the ones that might inspire something more.

Something really fun happened when I took the photo for this piece. It was a county hike, and a few of us were walking down the road together. When I stopped at this beautiful, gnarled, dead tree, one of my companions said “it looks like one of your sculptures!”

Though the image was captured in 2021, it took a few years before I found the right use for it. I tried a lot of different branches until I finally settled on this root with such similar energy and gesture. Then I found the gray stained glass that was so reminiscent of the gray and overcast day of that hike. This is my process: I collect images, objects and materials and then try to find the ones that belong together to become something new.

As I write this in April of 2025, the last two pieces of the series are in their final stages. This book, part two of a three part series, is also almost complete. I am not sure what will come next, but that’s what makes the journey exciting!