Like many people who have a lifelong connection with the sea-I actually grew up on a sailboat-whales hold a particular fascination for me, as the largest living creature and a marine mammal that, while “swimming with the fishes,” shares fundamental qualities with our own species (among other enduring peculiarities). Simply put: wales epitomize the ocean’s vast and mysterious nature.

“The Whale” began almost instinctively, as if some unconscious force was guiding my hand to fashion the reed into the familiar shape of a beloved totem. Steadily, though, with each twist and turn of the pliant wood, it became a more deliberate expression, leading ultimately to a piece that evokes a powerful sense of familiarity and connection.