On my daily walks through the streets of my hometown, Dunedin I often find feathers.
I see them as gifts left for me by the birds that live there and imagine they have been placed just so they can't be missed. I have a deep love and respect for the avian kingdom. They are like winged gods sent to mesmerize and teach me their powerful wisdom. As I gaze upon my feathers in all their intricate beauty and miraculous function, I am drawn to the rachis, the main shaft in the center of the feather. It's the most elegant of lines. I decide that I will capture it in one of my sculptures.
When I began carving my sculpture, The Cosmic Gift, I reflected upon the rock before me, it's timeless origin compared to the nature of my own existence, set against the backdrop of this vast universe that is "way out there". Or is it? Could I, the rock and my feather be separate or other?Then I wondered if this beautiful rock had been left as a gift just for me, to mesmerize me and teach me it's powerful wisdom.
The Cosmic Gift contains the rachis line as well as the scars from it's journey of life. It's these details that hold little secrets for the viewer to explore. It is my gift to them.
This work is now on exhibit at the Sandpearl, Clearwater Beach until December 20th.
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