Ants Totem

Walnut harvested from a tree taken down in Rye, NH
21 x 14 x 59 inches tall

A commemoration to a doomed ant colony fount in the but of the tree as it was being milled, using an off cut from the butt of the tree. Cooper set it in his studio for a year or more, living with it until he found this inspiration. He carved away all the wood that was punky or rotten, stabilized some splits with butterfly joints, carved the ants going up and down the column with a queen, eggs and workers at the base, a scout on the table, and supports inspired by the work of George Nakashima.