Recent Works

The inspiration for this piece came while collecting driftwood and observing Dragonflies during an early morning beach walk on Edisto Island, SC. It was a serene moment where the beauty of God’s creation transcended all my worries and concerns, so I set out to commemorate it artistically.

Each dragonfly body was carved from wood dowel sticks and painted to mimic a particular species. I designed the corresponding wings by hand and then scanned them to my computer where I added color and printed them on transparency sheets. After cutting out the wings, I added several thin layers of plastic medium to create a membrane-effect. The wings were then affixed to the dragonfly bodies and each dragonfly was mounted on a piece of Edisto Island driftwood. The dragonfly mounts were then arranged and permanently attached to a display shelf I constructed from red oak. I designed the shelf and stained it such that would collect light and provide contrast while expressing a coastal theme. Finally, I added Title and species labels to complete the representation.

I hope that when folks view this piece it will engage their imagination, and they will feel the same sense of serenity I experienced while watching dragonflies on Edisto Island…a sense of harmony over discord and a belief that nature’s beauty is a force that connects us all.

This piece was inspired by my personal struggles to maintain the principles of my Christian faith. However, temptation is something we all face regardless of our spiritual beliefs. Often, the things that tempt us carry a short-term reward at the cost of our long-term well-being. 

In this piece, the bottle with the coiled snake and Datura flower collectively symbolize those things that tempt us. The snake coiled around the bottle is representative of the story of Adam & Eve and the many forms of temptation we face in today’s society.  The Datura on the bottle label represents the seductive nature of temptation and the short-lived reward that often follows. On each side of the bottle there are newly metamorphosized Dragonflies resting on river rocks at the base of Sansevieria plants. These dragonflies represent transformation into a better version of ourselves when we resist the temptation to betray our lasting wellness for ephemeral indulgences.

The snake depicted in this piece is a Smooth Green Snake and was carved from a vine I found growing along the Congaree creek in South Carolina. The Datura flower was grown and photographed in our family's flower garden. The dragonflies were carved from wood dowel sticks and painted to mimic various species native to South Carolina. The Sansevieria plants were carved and painted from thin strips of Balsa wood that were soaked in water and then sun dried to give the leaves a natural curled form. The presentation “canvas” for the piece was constructed from red oak and stained various colors to provide contrast while incorporating the natural beauty of the wood grain.