Bill Kitzmiller's Solar Wind Art Studio

The following, a description of the Natural-History of a North Pacific Piling-wood carving, by Bill Kitzmiller.

Since I began carving driftwood, I have looked long and hard for a clearer sliver of red cedar. I am pleased to have found and worked such wonderful wood as this. Like all driftwood, none of them are perfect, the 12foot toothpick shaped sliver, had a natural split halfway down one side, this proved to be quite a challenge trying to figure out how to carve the protusion on the side of the piece, the end result was surprising. I found the wood on a wintery day in 1994, while warding off the bordom of a long Alaskan winter. I had a beatup 84 suburu stationwagon, I had gone out to the Homer Spit to beach comb, that day I found a small slab of yellow cedar, that later became bow and stern blocks for an Aleute and Aleutig kayaks, a small sliver of yellow cedar became a northern eskimo loon mask, and this 12 foot sliver of red cedar is carved with sea creatures one could see on the piling supporting the docks of coastal Alaska. The natural history of this carving is true to the marine life living beneath our rich seas. Top of the pole contains the splash zone, next there are blue mussels, bladderwrak kelp, and more barnicals. Down at the bottom an octopus lurks, a large sunflower seastar feels along for it's prey, anything it can blindly run down. Strands of kelp twist around the piling, providing cover for piling perch, kelp greenling, and a dungeness crab. On the surface of the piling variaties of limpets and chitons crawl along the piling eating alge, a host of five rayed sea stars slowly make their way to the top of the piling trying to get to the blue mussel zone to eat. Other animals featured in this carving are two sun stars, a leather star, two large gumboot chiton, and sea anemone. The anemone complete the difficult protusion, hanging down and away from the main body of the piece.

It is a unique, one of a kind freeform driftwood carving.