One day, I was emptying vegetable and fruit rind into a well-tended compost pile of a friend, only to discover a vibrant beauty of a plant growing directly out of the middle of the compost. Carved one seed at a time, I mindfully pondered the carrying this refugee into another dimension, enjoying the slow and deliberate process. I was left with strands of papery outer leaves that needed some grounding, and was happy to have them wrap around and meet to create support and safe structure for this newly emerged being.

As I have continued creating these sculptures and working to strengthen their integrity, I realized that much of my encaustic sculpture process thus far has been to do so without showing how this integrity is achieved. It occurred to me that this is a strong parallel to how we present ourselves out in society-- trying to keep what holds us together, below the surface. And rather than hiding the hard work that goes into holding ourselves together, we have the opportunity to share the importance of that role in our survival and blooming.

This sculpture was created from original photography, printed onto textile, layered repeatedly with encaustic medium, cut to new shape, carved over the entire surface, sculpted to shape, hand-colored with powdered pigment, and carefully sewn together. This is a pedestal piece.