Raising The Mother Tree

Raising The Mother Tree

2021

Ponderosa Pine, Gold Leaf, Copper, Steel

Shown in Chromatic Cogitations: Rhythm Reboot at Redline Contemporary Art Center, Denver, CO

Curated by Rosie Gordon-Wallace

Much of my work has been about making the invisible aspects of nature visible - showing what happens in a bee’s hive, for example, by creating sculptures with them, while emphasizing the human impact of my hand in their choices in a gently forced collaboration. My work with trees has been to try to “repair” what happened underneath the bark due to bark beetles, inspired by the Japanese tradition of Kintsugi, where broken dishes are repaired with gold in order to highlight their brokenness. 

In “Raising The Mother Tree” I am infusing a downed Ponderosa Pine with light by lining the interior with gold leaf. The mother tree of the forest, she is likely over 200 years old, her twisted trunk an evolutionary adaptation for strength against the wind. When I first saw this hollowed out, downed tree 7 years ago, I dreamed of it standing again, to highlight both the hopefulness and folly of combating climate change and the ravages of time.