Description
A gift from nature in the form of a bird. Wood was collected on the mountain near my home in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The color of the bird is natural and sealed with tung oil. Wood is possibly Ponderosa pine or Douglas fir. 11"L x 10"H x 6"W without base. The base is bristlecone pine, which I collected in Colorado.
Materials
Wood; ponderosa pine and bristlecone pine.
Dimensions
10" x 11" x 6"
Grant Morris
Cherokee Nation
About the Artist
I’m a Cherokee Nation (Wolf Clan) citizen, raised in Oklahoma, at the crossroads of the Osage, Muscogee Creek and Cherokee Nations. I now reside in the Front Range near Manitou Springs, Colorado. I’m primarily a wood sculptor but also work with rock and create traditional Native American weapons.
My free time is spent enjoying the outdoors, often collecting the materials used in my art. As I hike, I search for and collect interesting pieces of wood, often without yet visualizing what they will become. Most of the materials I use in my art are collected between 8,500 and 11,800 feet, near the top of the tree line. It's not uncommon for me to hike five miles and gain 1500 feet in elevation to return with one special piece of material. My favorite wood is bristlecone pine, one of the oldest trees known to man, growing only an inch in girth every 100 years. Nearby, I also collect semi-precious minerals such as amazonite, smoky quartz, and crystal. You will often find these materials embedded in my art, along with materials more common to Pueblo artists, such as turquoise and red coral. I only use fallen and dead trees that I legally obtain. Trees that have succumbed to insect damage or fire, are special, allowing nature to contribute to the one-of-a-kind beauty of each piece. What might look like a piece of wood best suited for the fireplace, I see as movement and curls.
It is important to me to bring out the natural beauty and spirit within the wood. My creations are not forced; instead, I allow nature to participate, if not dominate the art. While I seek inspiration from traditional Cherokee and Native American themes, the wood ultimately guides the creation. Eventually, the wood will let me know what it wants to be and that is when the journey to bring the dead wood back to life begins.
