deeply rooted core 2

This piece was inspired by the Mabinogion: a collection old Welsh folk tales. These ancient stories are filled with mystery, magic, romance and ambiguity. Some of the characters in the tales can transform and take on mystical proportions; things are not quite what they seem. It was this transforming and ambiguous quality that set the flavour for this piece. The ancient quality of these tales give them an intriguing root of substance, hence the title of this work.
For me, using an old tree stump to make a piece of art resonated on a number of levels. This cut down tree with its inner core exposed, revealed its age. The 80 years or so it had been growing were documented by its growth rings and showed the quality of the years that had passed. Now that the tree had been cut down it seemed contained or compressed, this reversed its focus. The largest part of this piece by far is now underground, hidden by the earth, revealed only by our minds eye. The analogy of the above ground part of the sculpture standing for our earthly outer bodies and conscious state with the underground part representing our much larger subconscious mind interested me.
While the above ground part offers hints of a rich heritage, with its shapes that transform depending on the amount and quality of light. The deeply rooted underground foundation of this piece can suggest a vast ‘otherworld’ of richness.