Inception

Oak, Warriors Mark, PA

Dimensions: 33" x 29" x 18"

Inception was sculpted from the crotch log of a black oak felled on the McCorkel Tree Farm, where I live near Warrior's Mark, PA. The log had suffered borer and fungal attack, which left interesting defect structures and coloration of the wood. The "cap" and natural edges along the sides show the extent of the original log; the central core contains the most interesting feather-grain patterns and bark inclusions often found in large crotch logs. The name derives from my sculpting "spindles" in the center of each trunk, which forms the crotch. These spindles contain the wood of the young sapling, hence its "inception." Of course, the unusual form of this sculpture suggests many alternative titles, and the most tempting one that I like would be "arachnid."