Forest Sphere - Roosevelt Forest

Details

    © 2021
  • Dimensions (in inches): 7 x 6.2 x 6.2
  • Materials:wood, book board, book cloth, paper, oil, acrylic on paper, mica, brass, natural specimens cast in epoxy resin, wax, nut
  • Collection of: University of Denver Libraries, Special Collections

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One of a series of three sculptural book works housed in a custom box. The book object is a series of 5 vertically stacked, round wood slices bound with a single post. Each slice has round cavities that hold various specimens collected from Colorado's Roosevelt forest floor in 2021. The specimens are cast in epoxy and over glazed with mica. The box structure has a removable lid with four drop down walls. Three walls have original oil paintings on surface treated paper, the fourth wall has a laser engraved text panel Colophon is recessed on the underside of the box.
A couple years ago I found a quiet clearing - perfect for a few days of camping. A small stream nearby, the lodgepoles healthy and tall, stillness broken only by trembling aspen leaves, the burble of a nearby stream. It felt like a safe place. I hoped to return, often. Now, the trees that remain, damaged and charred, feel threatening. No longer sheltering, the stillness disturbs. The sense of welcome, of safety, has vanished.