Tenacity in wood
This Rhododendron root burl so tenaciously cradled that piece of granite, I had no other option when I sculpted the piece than to honor their 30+ year relationship — and to name it accordingly.
The bush hosting the burl measured some 15′ high (Yes, that’s feet, not a typo!), which is a normal growth for wild rhododendron in western North Carolina. It grew on property my wife Gaye and I owned in Madison County. The bush was dislodged from the mountain slope it grew on during torrential spring rains in the early 1980s. I rather like to think that my sculpture embodies recycling at its best.
