While living on the high desert of the Southwest in the late 1970's, Dale became enthralled with the gnarled and twisted shapes of the mesquite and juniper that grow there. He began carving the branches of these trees into useful artworks that retained the shapes and textures of the original branches. Over the years that followed he refined his skills and began making a living selling the works resulting from these efforts. In 1992 he settled on three and a half forested acres on rural in Puget Sound, Washington, where he lives today. Now much of the wood he uses comes from his own trees. Some are native to the island (cherries, bigleaf maples, alders, and madrones) and some are the naturalized descendants of trees planted by the island's first settlers. In the spring, after the last of the winter storms, he gathers interesting branches that have blown down on his property and around the island. Then they are stored for several years until they are cured and ready to be fashioned into functional sculptures - boxes, back scratchers, flatware, hair accessories, wooden rings, and much more. Each of Dale's works is unique. Just as no tree's branches are alike, none of his organiform wood sculptures can ever be the same. Those you see in this site are typical of his work. The ones you order will resemble the examples but will never duplicate them. Each piece is approached with both form and function in mind, but in the end, it is the structure of the wood that determines both. |
