About The Wood

 

Rocky Mountain Junipers are some of the worlds’ oldest trees. The ones that live their lives in the harshest conditions grow gnarled and twisted as they age. By the time I get to them, they are grey, weathered, and dead, but usually still standing. Old growth juniper contains natural rot and insect resistant resins, enabling the dead wood to last for centuries.

To create my sculptures, I remove much of the original exterior wood, exposing the tree's inner core. Guided by the natural shape of the piece, I exaggerate many of the tree's existing features. The contrasting black coloration is added using a torch. Over time, the sculpture will weather to a light grey coloration while the torched areas will remain black. 

While viewing these trees turned into sculptures, it is humbling to ponder the changing world they endured. Their resilience to natural forces working against them gave them their beauty.

 

About The Artist

In 2005, after two seasons of working in Yellowstone National Park, I moved to Montana. Back then, I spent the majority of my days in the mountains searching for shed elk antlers. These, I would sell to antler artists across the state. 

Over time, my pursuits expanded beyond just shed antlers. Precious and semi precious stones, fossils, artifacts, and ancient bison skulls were added to the hit list. These days, my excursions mainly revolve around finding the most uniquely shaped pieces of dead juniper wood out there. The thrill of finding the perfect piece among forests of gnarled juniper trees is what keeps me loving my work. 

In 2011, I created my first small juniper sculpture, a labor of love taking well over 100 hours. Since then, my process has continually evolved to become more efficient. I have pursued my art as a career since 2012, creating everything from small twisted cribbage boards to large sculptural installments over 20 feet tall. Being self taught, my work continues to evolve positively with each new concept and design.



Working with juniper has been a self taught endeavor spanning the last ten years. I’ve come up with my own techniques, and in some cases built custom tools to get the job done. I do most of the work out of my home workshop in Helena, Montana.