SLT-001

There's something wonderfully satisfying about creating an "elsewhere." We started with a dried branch that caught our eye on a walk through the woods. One thing led to another, as often happens around here, and by that night we had begun a large piece explicitly for it! There are a lot of decisions that go into our pieces. The arched niche had to be carved out of the pillar, deep enough to hold the branch on a stone base. Fine craftsmanship is important to us; the branch needed to be fitted into the space so that it looked as though it had grown there. And it had to extend out into the viewer's space enough that it would be visible and intriguing from any angle in the room.

A week later we were adding finishing touches: a sandblasted disk of glass for the moon and also a ladder. The rungs were set into the curvy sides of the ladder by drilling tiny holes, using granddad's vintage hand drill. Anything electric would have been too forceful and would have split the thin branches. Our "elsewhere" had to be magnificently inviting. These last additions insured that it would be.

This found a happy home with a collector soon after it was completed. We wanted to include it here to show a very narrative version of our pillars. And, secretly, I hope someone will want a ladder in a commission piece and I can get out granddad's drill again! The pillar was 6 ft. tall... scaled to offer an easy step into a place all your own. Guessing the weight to be about 16 pounds, framed.