Autumn T. Thomas - "Forest for the Trees"

Forest for the Trees is a sculpture installation that focuses on process through repetition. Every element of this sculpture - beginning with 22 strips of wood - required the tenacity that mimics life. Growth and progress are both elements which, if tended to with care and dedication, will eventually yield beautiful, albeit slightly different, results. By pushing myself to complete each step of this sculpture, I was reminded not to focus on the end result, but to stay in the present, taking one slow step at a time, focusing only on the detail at hand, placing the same care and thought into each step. Each of those tiny details builds upon the next until finally, the forest appears. 

The number 22 is often understood to be a message from the ancestors that they are helping me to manifest my dreams. Forest for the Trees is a culmination of a year of extremely hard work that has proven that my dreams are, in fact, manifesting. Each element - from the transparent, resin filled cuts in the wood to the moire effect and shadows cast - are defining moments for this sculpture and for me.