Driftwood Art

At the mouth of the Navarro River in Mendocino County, CA, a vast sandbar lies covered with many kinds and sizes of driftwood, blown ashore in the winter storms, lodged there to be moved by the tides, storms, and other waters of change. I go there with an artist friend to find driftwood for myself to carve later, to use in my artwork, to be inspired by, to sculpt with stones and other natural forms. I find several pieces of beautiful wood to take with me. I also find two or three walking sticks, straight and strong and true, for my friend to make into canes, walking sticks, and hiking poles.



And as I do only when moved by the energy and spirit of a place, I make a piece of land art sculpture, in place. I make photographs, the only thing that will endure. The wind was high, and the waves high too. So this river-fence will not endure long, probably less than a day.


RiverFence, Navarro River, CA, February 2010





I also staked solitary poles in several places, as I walked amongst the driftwood piled high, marking places that seemed to need to be marked. And I found a half-desiccated, half-torn-away seagull corpse, bones showing, feathers twirled together, the mark of mortality amongst all the dead and drifted wood.