RECENT SCULPTURES

Ode to Madrone, 48”x48”x2”, ceramic wall sculpture comprised of 49 individual tiles

“Our ancestors heard the call of the forest

and they heard the song of nature,

the song of the power of nature,

and they heard it through the trees.”

(Irish-Canadian scientist and author, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, from the documentary, Call of the Forest: the Forgotten Wisdom of Trees)

My favorite tree is the Pacific madrone, native to the western coastal areas of North America from British Columbia to California. Having grown up in New England, I had never seen this stunningly beautiful tree until I moved to California. Its bright color and the smoothness of its cinnamon-brown bark, surprisingly cool to the touch, captivated me. This tree loves the sun so much that its limbs have learned to twist and turn until it finds the sunniest spot on the hillside, sometimes reaching above all the surrounding trees to bask in as much sunlight as possible.

In May, 2022, on one of my hikes to the top of Gold Hill in San Rafael, I took some photos of a mature madrone just when its smooth cinnamon bark was at its peak and had barely begun the summer exfoliation. Here, you may see the madrones surrounded by golden grasses on the hillsides before they turn brown in the summertime, or, perhaps, you see the madrones surrounded by sunlight.

A Note about the Process

Each sculptural ceramic tile is handbuilt, bisque-fired to a low temperature, brushed with underglazes and glazes, fired again, then brushed with a sealer. Each tile is affixed to a wood panel for mounting on the wall.