"Scathes Wood" Print

I am an Engineer creating Stage and TV sets as well as large Art installations. Part of my job is to understand and draw complicated structures, and this influences my interest in drawing trees and other natural structures. Over the years, I have constructed a wide variety of structures, so I am familiar with the materials and forces that make them possible. I recognize the same forces and materials that give these natural structures their shape when I draw trees. The method and outcome of addressing technical difficulties are identical to those of losing myself in a painting. A well-constructed structure has the same equilibrium as a comprehensive drawing in which the knowledge underlying the tree's structure is represented. I still experience the same sense of innocent delight as I did when I created my first drawing or construction. The illustrations illustrate the balance of tension, weight, and structure by illustrating how a branch's bend into an arc captures the energy under control. I have worked with many different artists to create installations such as Richard Tuttle, Alex Chinneck, Olafur Eliasson, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Liam Gillick, Edmund de Waal.