Milkweed 1

Milkweed 1

Milkweed 1

7 x 13.5 x 4.5 inches 
Poplar, acrylic paint
Available for Sale
Milkweed 1. These assorted pods represent a new series in my artwork, a complete departure from my usual atrium-sized sculptures of natural and constructed forms. For centuries, seed pods have kindled the imagination of sculptors and carvers attempting to capture the beauty, abundance, and regeneration of nature. Although most woodworkers begin with a familiar spindle shape, I have chosen the open vessel as a starting place to reimagine pods as flowers in themselves, as well as vehicles of elemental transport, insight, and language. In many respects, what we see here recalls the sinuous curves of an archetypal boat, eye, or mouth. A simple wood bowl, with its redeployed foot and midsection, thus yields an embellished purse with cargo of seed, fruit, light, or wind-driven music. The color was inspired by a red/green autumn leaf that I picked up on a dog walk.