Wood in Flight: Reclaimed and Transformed (2018)
Sculpture: granite, bronze, charcoal
16.5 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches

Salvaged from a burned oak tree on Pepperwood Preserve, the bark is transformed and renewed into bronze. Although Pepperwood has burned extensively multiple times, the wildlife and vegetation are making remarkable recoveries. Trees are considered to be the lungs of the planet due to the carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange. Scientists are studying data to help understand and prevent these types of fires in the future. Prescriptive fires are now being used effectively to lighten the fuel load.

Joshua Family (2024)
Photography
26 x 38 inches

Joshua trees have an important role in the desert since the interaction between the Joshua tree and the yucca moth is a mutualistic symbiotic relationship, where both organisms benefit from each other through the process of pollination. The Joshua can also reproduce asexually through rhizome growth, where new shoots grow from underground roots that spread out around the parent tree. These new shoots are genetically identical clones of the original Joshua tree.

Illuminated Trees (2022)
Photography
28 x 22 inches

Traffic lights illuminate the beauty and interconnections of deciduous and coniferous trees during the fall in Yosemite Valley.