Artist Statement

My wildlife shadowboxes grew from the same impulse that sends me into Pennsylvania’s forests with binoculars in one hand and a sketchbook in the other: the urge to look closer. I am drawn to overlooked details—the textures of bark, the persistence of moss, and signs of life tucked into small spaces. Each piece began with a fragment of bark shed by the trees in my backyard—one heart-shaped and riddled with holes, the other covered in moss.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker with Sculpted Lentinellus micheneri brings together watercolor, polymer clay, and the forest itself. I carved a cavity into the bark to give the woodpecker a home, then surrounded it with acorns, pinecones, and hand-sculpted fungi. Everything is life-size, because scale matters when you want someone to feel they’ve stumbled upon a secret. These elements suggest a complete ecosystem—producers, consumer, and decomposer.

My hope is that viewers leave with a heightened sense of curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the fragile, intricate systems preserved in places like Pennsylvania’s state parks. If these pieces encourage someone to look more closely—or to step onto a trail with new attention—then they have done their work.