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 the Hoh rain forest floor in 2018. 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 with the following statement:

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.

Colophon is recessed on the underside of the box.

Materials:

wood, book board, book cloth, paper, oil, acrylic on paper, mica, brass, natural specimens cast in epoxy resin, wax, nut

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