Soil & Water

My dad worked for the Soil Conservation Service for most of my childhood. When he died, I started doing rooted pieces. My dad represents my roots. Eventually, it moved beyond metaphor and I began to make the layered pieces that are a Soil Horizon, capturing the living soil, sub soils, stone and mineral layers, and aquifers, the stone layers that trap and hold water. I began reading and researching to make sure what I was building was scientifically accurate.

I entered the first large soil horizon I made in the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Show. It won a Blue Ribbon as well as an Excellence in Fiber prize and sold immediately. More importantly, I witnessed people standing in front of a piece of my art talking about living soil at the Fair, linking back to my father’s life’s work. The work has evolved to showing plants and roots serving the living soil and water cycles.