River, Ridge, Range Columns

 

“River, Ridge, Range Columns” is a grouping of three freestanding wood structures measuring a total of 96x36x24” as a group, or 96×14.5×14.5”, 80x12x12” and 68×6.5×6.5” individually. Each column began as hand-drawn art from a favorite Alaskan place: the braids of the Placer River, striated waves of rock near Glacier Bay, and the Chugach Front Range. I digitized the drawings, used my 65W CO2 laser cutter to make interlocking wood panels, added acrylic inks in colors reminiscent of the landscape, & sewed them by hand into the final structures. Despite the subtraction of most of the wood, the pieces are surprisingly strong & reveal different overlapping patterns depending on the viewer’s height and perspective.

River, Ridge, Range Columns at home with Ruby the dog

River, Ridge, Range Columns, wood sculpture

River, Ridge, Range Columns, wood sculpture closeup

River, Ridge, Range Columns, wood sculpture closeup

Design and process:

All-Alaska Biennial, Anchorage Museum, Nov. 6, 2020, through April 4, 2021. Details and visitor information at anchoragemuseum.org