Artist Statement
Five years ago I helped a friend cut up a large maple tree that fell in his front yard. The tree was mostly hollow which enabled me to see how beautifully figured the wood was. After getting a section of the trunk home, I hollowed out more of the trunk and made it into a coffee table base. I was hooked and wanted to do more. I soon learned of a tree service not far from me where I found hundreds of discarded tree trunks. I now make regular trips to see what?s new in the woodlot. What I?m looking for are trunks that have various imperfections that add interest to the grain and are rejected by sawyers. The next step is to cut them up. My collaborator, Aaron Henry, and I use a sawmill to cut them longitudinally (slabs), cut cross-sections (cookies), or to help create a sculptural piece using the natural form of the trunk. Once the log is cut up, the pieces are placed into a kiln where they are slow-dried for about three months to minimize warping and splitting. When the moisture content gets down to about 7 to 8 percent, the wood is ready to be worked using conventional woodworking techniques.
