Gaia

Forgive me if I claim this to be a monumental sculpture, of proportions I’d never dreamed of attempting in wood, let alone accomplishing.  All I can say is that I challenged myself to do work worthy of the wood itself — a crotch burl walnut, ripped from its trunk during a fierce storm that hit a Virgina tree farm.

According to Greek mythology, Gaia was the Earth Mother, credited with the creation of all living things, giving rise to the notion that everything in, on and around the planet is a single living organism, all interconnected and interdependent.

This piece both conjured and attempts to capture those concepts.  At the same time, it attempts to acknowledge that we are connected to something larger. We ask questions. We seek to understand. The single, tallest, columnar member of Gaia signifies that outward reach.

This piece also attempts to capture two other concepts – that of “chaos theory” and “excessive creationism.” Chaos theory purports that there is a certain order and rhythm in seemingly chaotic events. And that while the universe is ordered and periodic, it is also chaotic. So is this piece, called Gaia.

There is overall order and rhythm but no two elements are the same on the face or interior of Gaia. That then leads to the idea of excessive creationism. We observe the dizzying array of creation — from the subatomic particle to the grand cosmos. No two structures are alike. From human fingerprints and snow flakes to the riotous perfusion of floral species and galactic structures, the Great Creator had fun with His/Her creation. So much of it all is here simply to give us endless observations and questions to ask. I intend for my creation, Gaia, to be bewildering, to seem incomprehensible and reveal endless variety for the observer. It was also torturous fun for me to create.