Want to sit here for a bit?

“Want to sit here for a bit?” is a sterling silver sculpture of a miniature park bench with a monarch butterfly wing affixed to one side of its backrest and a sprig of cedar with five cedar cones growing from the opposite side. The piece is inspired by walks I have taken with friends in parks and on nature trails. The work distills and holds these cherished simple moments when we often stop and sit for awhile on a bench when the surroundings beckon us to rest. It encapsulates presence and evokes feelings of connection and belonging that arise from spending meaningful time in the natural world. I work in silver, which is a conductive and reflective material that originates in ancient supernova. The slow and meticulous process of hand-fabricating in silver forges a conversation between cherished memories and present-moment awareness. My work carries the memory of skilled presence and listening. The scale of the piece calls attention to human response to smallness and challenges our perception in contemporary culture of what it means to 'feel small' and 'take up space'. “Want to sit here for a bit?” reflects on the significance of direct and singular moments that act as seeds in our being which contain potential for future growth. The piece measures 7cm x 2.8cm x 8.5cm