ARTIST STATEMENT

With endless opportunities for “recreating” what is wild and natural, I like to make what nature gives me “my own.” The challenges and surprises of this activity keep me motivated. How is it that a slender, simple flax leaf could become such a thing of extraordinary beauty when skeletonized and pressed? What lies beneath the obvious? And how might this new material be combined with other elements to form something completely fresh?

This is what I want to say with my art…Life is not always what we think it is. What appears one way can be shaped and manipulated into something very different. Celebrate the unexpected, remain open to change, and enjoy the process of doing both. 

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ABOUT THE SCULPTURES

Materials: Skeletonized New Zealand Flax leaves / steel / wood / clay

The sculptures featured here are created with skeletonized New Zealand Flax leaves, a rare and unique natural product. Each leaf is from the New Zealand flax plant, or harakeke. Through a special process that releases the mako or fibre within the flax leaf, the beautiful netting-like leaf of Hapene is left. The leaves are then dried and pressed and will, given proper care, last indefinitely. While they look delicate, the sculptures are very durable and strong.

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