a few words on my prayer tree sculptures

first, a correction. most folks mistakenly think that they are comprised of nails pounded into logs. that is just the meat level of their existence. they are, in actuallity, comprised of prayer and meditation. for each nail pounded into a log either a prayer, an affirmation, or my sanscrit mediation mantra is uttered, either silently or aloud. (initiated and trained by a hindu teacher, swami venketesananda, in 1969 i have been meditating daily for 51 years now. meditation is the core base of my life. without it i have no doubt i would be dead.) when i pound the nails into logs (pine preferably, and knotty to prevent splitting) i move into a no mind space, a spaciousness where thoughts, if they arise, simply pass thru my mind but do not settle there nor attract focus or even attention. thus, i sit in a peaceful emptiness for much of the time i am nail pounding (usually 30-45 minutes a session). i do NOT make aesthetic decisions while nail pounding these sculptures, that part of my mind is not active. all placement decisions are made intuitively in concert with my hands. and having been in the construction trades for 15 years (or more) including time spent doing carpentry, my hands are very talented. there is a flow to all this… and it happens pretty much on its own.

in the last five years however the production of my prayer tree sculptures has diminished greatly. back problems make it difficult for me to sit on the floor to work and difficult for me to handle doing so much nailing. additionally, i have also had to cope with tennis elbow and neck problems while doing this work. (as of this writing my back and my health in general is getting much better, mostly thanks to a combination of weight training, cardio, yoga, meditation and massage.) in the meantime i have been doing other more transient forms of prayer sculpture, including ofrendas (altars) for the dead for dia de los muertos, prayer flags/rag strips or ribbons tied to tree branches with singing and praying accompanyment (bhajan), and stupa-like sculptures made of rocks along the shores of the mississippi (plus chanted prayer). none of these sculptures are meant to last or to be for sale. they are temporal, thus accenting the prayer based nature of their being.

Prayer Tree 3, 12x48x12, mixed media, $4500

Prayer Tree 10, 11x10x10, mixed media, $850

Prayer Tree 11, 24x14x14, mixed media, $3200