A Higher Level

32 x 3 x 3 in., steel, charred poplar, 2023

Chiseled and worn, the long plate of steel that fronts this totem is an emblem of endurance. The combination of chisel strikes and hard abrasion create a texture not unlike birch bark. An organic outline  enhances the effect. A second plate floats just below the first, creating depth and doubling the pleasing organic outline. Like all totems, the base of this one is deeply charred wood. The fissures echoing the cuts hammered into the steel.