The Forest Friends began as an idea conceived on a city sidewalk when I saw a pair of maple keys and thought “Fairy wings.” Little did I know at the time how greatly this moment would affect my life. Like a child, the concept grew in baby steps, unfolding slowly from something cute and simple into a complex culture with characters fulfilling roles in a well-rounded community founded on environmental consciousness and earth-based spirituality. To this day it feels like Mystery; I readily admit to marveling — and to not needing to understand how this works through me.

The Forest Friend dioramas are sculptures lovingly formed around found wood which has been carefully cleaned, sanded, and finished, then brought to life with mosses, snails, bark, cones,…. and little people. 

The materials used in the dioramas are chosen with care and with respect for the environment; they must be ecologically compatible, with little, if any, allowance for aesthetics. It is a fundamental rule that every component of these art pieces is within the realm of the possible for a society of elfin beings living in our forests.