When working alone in a country setting, as I have been on the stone eye project, the surroundings become my companion. This spring I’ve witnessed the trees slowly bud, and then quickly unfurl their greenery. Just this week a great blue heron winged its effortless way through the cloudless sky overhead. A glossy-backed, black bear ambled through the tall meadow grass, it’s nose sniffing the morning air. The barking, turned to howling, of a coyote woke me in the night.

While nature abounds all around I try to focus on the work at hand. The methodical labor of setting vertical stone to shape the sculpture requires a steady concentration. Each piece has to slot in between previously set stones, and has to be bedded in the crushed stone so that the top face aligns with the developing form. On the highest portions of the work, I measure the next space to be filled, climb down to find an appropriate stone, hammer shape it if necessary, and climb back up to set it.

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