Inspiration found: A unique take on driftwood art
On one of the last warm days in October, I head out to the Potomac River near my hometown in search of nature’s art. At 405 miles long, the Potomac is the fourth-largest river on the east coast, flowing from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The river is ever-changing and alive, cresting with the ocean's tide and wide enough in places that the opposite shoreline is scarcely visible. It’s a place unmatched for inspiration.
My hunt is for a piece of driftwood, the remains of a tree that has spent time in the water before washing up on the shore. Aquatic insects and bacteria eat away at the wood over time, while the river itself acts as a woodcarver, creating smooth, sculpted shapes. The best pieces can be turned into art.
I started my driftwood creations two years ago as a way of immersing myself in nature. I’ve always found peace in the outdoors, and love hiking and camping. My first few months of working with driftwood resulted in simple stained pieces. There’s beauty in that alone. My process involves using a power washer to get rid of any mud or debris collected within the crevasses of the wood. Some pieces require a little light sanding to smooth out any rough edges. I use a variety of transparent, cast colors on the wood while still allowing the grain to show through. Most pieces look striking as indoor sculptures. I’ve also collected worn-down pieces of lumber, repurposing them for building furniture, from tables to benches.
It wasn’t until a year ago that I noticed some pieces of the driftwood resemble various aquatic and land creatures. My first such piece was worn lumber that was cracked in the front in such a way that it took on the shape of a mouth. A knot just above it resembled an eye. I was blown away; I had missed this all along! I gathered some outdoor acrylic paint and began to paint the wood, transforming it into the whale I had envisioned. From that point, my shoreline hunts were focused on finding driftwood that resembles wildlife.
Finding wood with an animal resemblance is obviously more difficult than just finding pieces of wood. I saw it as a treasure hunt, heading out to various places along the river’s banks, hoping to find elusive pieces. This required sloshing through the mud and other river debris to get to where I needed to go.
On one treasure hunt, I almost walked across a copperhead snake. Native to Virginia, it is extremely poisonous and could have certainly ended my afternoon of fun, as I was miles away from my Jeep. Stopping only five feet from its coiled body, ready to strike, I gently backed away and returned to the hunt. Always watch your step, I learned.
I noticed more and more pieces that resembled living things. Sometimes it took days of observing it to determine what it could look like with a little paint. That was the case with the Imperial Dragon shown on the first two pages of my articles. It initially was a stained indoor piece, beautiful on its own. After a year of moving it to different locations and flipping it around, I envisioned the Dragon. That piece of driftwood turned into one of my favorite works of art – and it had been staring at me the whole time!
I’ve created an assortment of various sea and land creatures, war clubs, waves, painted walking sticks, and more. Some of my driftwood pieces came from hard-to-find pieces, like the Cuttlefish and the Guitar. In all treasure quests, I feel there is a little luck involved in finding what you are after. I’ve certainly been blessed with both luck and adventure in this art form. Driftwood is a passion that connects me to nature, involves treasure hunting, and gives me a creative outlet.