When a person looks at a sculpture, it is the physical and emotional journey by the artist that the viewer must consider.   The materials used are given new life by the artist while remaining truthful to their origins. This discipline is known as "truth to material".  The wood from the tree was first used to build a barn to shelter and sustain life. This same wood is reclaimed and reshaped by the artist to take on another purpose and meaning. The tree lives on in the lives of others.     The symbolism of the fish has many meanings. First, the water from which the fish exists represents the unknown, the subconscious and depth of knowledge. It is a deep and endless mystery. The fish represents, faith, adaptability in the wild, like the determined salmon that swims against the current great distances to return to its birthplace to continue the circle of life. The fish represents abundance and faith, transformation and creation. It represents the flow of life. The fern represents consciousness awakening. As the curled fronds of the young fern transforms towards the light and truth to flourish, so does man.  William Gerrish www.williamgerrish.com www.homagecreativearts.com
The final weight of the wood sculpture ended up being around 40lbs. The base, 90lbs. The wood sculpture has a 3/4" steel shaft that runs 24 inches up into the wood and 13 inches out allowing it to fit into the base. This enables the piece to be turned on the base for infinite viewing positions.	To think, it was first a tree, then a barn and now a sculpture that will be handed down from generation to generation.