Can making an image that captures the essence of wildness bring its force and power to inside spaces? Or to treeless spaces? Can it become a call to action in a world more and more threatened by the effects of climate change? These questions surfaced during my own walks in the wilderness and the wildness of my mind. The tree rubbings attempt to answer them.

I collaborate with the tree when making a rubbing by entering its intimate space. We exchange something beyond the transfer of texture to paper. The tree rubbings reflect moments from these walks, whether in the forest, the city park or suburban landscape. They mark time spent in the wilderness. They cultivate wildness in my soul. They record a fleeting experience; a dance of a grove, or of solitude; the movement of life; the solidity of existence—whether in the wilderness or a city square. They also document the fragility of the tree, celebrating a life that can easily be lost in a fire or a storm.

The rubbings document time spent linking myself with the natural world. I begin with charcoal or graphite, transferring the texture to paper. The rubbing returns with me to my studio where I work back into the patterns and marks, or I transform it into a book, a map or other creation. These creations are supplemented with text derived from reflective, historical and observational writings.

Drawing range in size from 20x26 inches to 60x110 inches.

They are made with charcoal, natural pigment encaustic crayons or graphite.