Metamorphosis

My “Metamorphosis” series evolved from moving to the rural environment of Haliburton County from the urban environment of Toronto, Ontario. This piece started out as a much more formal work with straight lines and a far more rigid base, but as I accumulated the found objects to build the pieces with, they began to take on a life of their own, evolving not necessarily in the direction I had envisioned. My observations of the natural life-cycles of the Haliburton forest around my studio were influencing my work and perception.

The pieces evoke the concept of ecological succession. I found that the flat slices of granite in the base of the piece, part of the Canadian Shield, reminded me of natural devastation. The mineral malachite then began to resemble the plants and low shrubs that would start to grow on the rock. I chose branches that had been stripped of their bark and had been lying on the forest floor for a long time – I positioned them on the rocks to show life beginning and ending in the rock, the growth always returning to the earth. The last element was the silver component. I tried to capture the idea of new growth from decay – polished, “new” life rising out of the wood.