Installation of Decline and Fall at Silverwood Park Gallery, March, 2023

I spent seven months researching, experimenting and working both on site and in the studio on a Green Ash tree that died from an infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer at Silverwood Park. Using draping techniques, I covered the branches in muslin and then encased them in sheets of wet handmade abaca paper. Once dry, they formed a crisp hollow replica of the tree.

I thought I was casting an ash tree in paper to honor the one that was removed from our yard in 2021 and to heighten awareness about the scourge of the Emerald Ash Borer. But as I worked on this husk or shell of the tree each day it became clear that this project was so much more than a representation of climate change and the loss of trees in the landscape. It was also a way for me to grieve and honor a friend I lost in our time of Covid. In a sense, it has become a burial shroud and a receptacle of memories of my beloved friend.