Cobra Lily Design

most of the time i am a farmer, but sometimes i make art.

My snake sculptures are an attempt to de-mystify a historically slandered and often misunderstood creature. Snakes are not malevolent but simply predators that sometimes revive deep, primal fears. In Eastern traditions, the snake is a symbol of wisdom and internal power. Ever capable of change (shedding the skin and thus “reborn”), the snake is a powerful totem for transformation.

We often loathe that which we don’t understand. In my art I often choose to represent deadly venomous snakes and large constrictors because they are the ones we avoid in nature. However, I have also created some smaller species that don’t hunt anything larger than a mouse, and ones that may be more familiar to us in North America. The collection here is a sampling of some more recent work of North American species.

I created all of these sculptures from the branches of hardwood trees around my house. With a little carving, some sanding and acrylic paint, I hope to reveal what was already there.

My sculptures are as close to life size as I can make them, and I include a brief natural history for each one so viewers have a better sense of them as unique and facinating creatures. It is my hope that by capturing their likeness with wood and paint, I will spark curiosity for, rather than fear of, these beautiful animals.

Vermont is a paradox of beauty: harsh winters followed by impossibly lush summers. Constantly changing weather and the cycle of the seasons remind me that nothing stays the same for very long. Life is a constant evolution from one form to another. I am learning that every moment is open to the universe of possibility.