This blog post is a sample from my first book. I will presenting other samples over the next few weeks in conjunction with my show, Making Connections: One Step at a Time. This two person show also features work by photographer Susan C. Larkin.

During the Finger Lakes Spring Conference in 2019, I spent three days with friends hiking the western end of the Trail in Allegany State Park. It had been a rainy season, so we were trekking through a lot of mud and across streams of various sizes. At one point we crossed a wooden bridge spanning twenty or thirty feet. Volunteers maintain the trail, and the stream crossings can be anything from a couple of planks to longer wood structures like this one. I snapped some photos and continued hiking. As I walked, I started imagining a wall sculpture in my mind. I would use a photo of this bridge alongside a couple of wood planks to represent a simple crossing. As I continued hiking, picturing the piece in my mind, the idea grew into a whole series. I would find inspiration from the photos and make at least one piece for each of the thirty-four maps on the trail.

Over five decades of making art, I have never before challenged myself to complete such a large series. These two challenges – both hiking the Finger Lakes Trail from end to end and completing the sculptures – have been well worth the effort.