together

Lately, I love to work in a series.  I am making small pieces again and each one seems to lead to the next. As I assemble a group of small pieces, they gain strength.  One seems to inform the other.

It reminds me of Peter Wohlleben’s book The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel and How They Communicate. He talks about how trees are better in a group and how they help each other. One tree alone is never as strong as a group of trees.

This series, Bark, did not start out as a series but as I worked on them, they felt stronger together. Like trees in nature: good alone but better together. I like the idea of displaying the pieces, 45 in total, three across and 15 down so that it feels a bit like a tree truck.

Lately, it seems that everywhere I turn, I am reminded of the importance of collaboration. In my work as a consultant, I see how a variety of strengths enables an organization to excel. The Mayo Clinic is at least partially the superb institution that it is because of the collaboration between doctors, nurses, and other caregivers.

The collaboration, though, is only as strong as the individuals that make it up. I try to make each piece strong enough to stand on its own. Then when they come together, they seem to dance to a bigger story.

Here’s one more piece in this bark series, made from washi paper soaked in the tidelands of Puget Sound and botanically dyed organza silk. I love the frailty of it , like peeling bark, disguising the underlying strength.

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