Growing up in Alaska, with thousands of miles of ocean coastline, the sea fascinated me. I became a shipwreck hunter and technical scuba diver, explored a massive flooded copper mine, and wrote a book documenting the incredible true survival story of rugged mariners cast ashore in Alaska over a century ago in the dead of winter.
During my years of coastal exploration, the driftwood tossed ashore by wind and waves captured my imagination. I started to notice amazing colors and shapes among the countless pieces of driftwood carried ashore by wind and currents.
I began to see nature's art.
From remote beaches in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, I select western hemlock, Sitka alder, and other coastal wood species, transforming the driftwood into abstract sculptures that honor and highlight the material's unique qualities.
Nature's relentless forces do much of the work—saltwater, sun, storms, and time shape and color the driftwood. I use it to create abstract sculptures, respectfully allowing the wood to suggest its most beautiful form and finish.
Each of my sculptures evokes memories, now transformed, of rugged coastal beaches I have explored and from which I have gathered exceptional pieces of driftwood.
My driftwood sculptures have been featured twice in the Madrona Grove Sculpture Exhibit in Anacortes, Washington. Two of my sculptures have been selected for the juried 2023 Spotlight exhibition at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art and another for the juried 2023 Anacortes Arts Festival fine arts exhibition.
