“Anacapa”

Private Commission

Birch with Cypress Frame - 5 Layers - 250 Pieces

70” x 48”

When we set out to create this project I knew little about Arch Rock. From research I found that my new muse was a famous rock formation on the East tip of Anacapa Island representing the Channel Islands National Park. This natural archway stands 40 feet above sea level and was formed by hundreds of years of waves and wind carving the soft rock from the middle out. I knew I would have to create a real show stopper to do it justice!

The single most rare and special component on this project has to be the frame. Given the subject matter of this piece and the beautiful area it is meant to represent I couldn’t use just any wood to put the final touch on this project. Through an extensive search of local Central Coast lumber I came across an environmentally friendly lumber mill based out of Santa Barbara. In their inventory was a rare piece of a tree trunk from a large cypress tree (example seen above) that was picked up from Devereux Point (Coal Oil Point) on the UCSB campus. The 100 year old tree had fallen down during a recent wind storm and was saved by Rob and his crew at Local Woods before it was left to rot away. When I found this piece of lumber I jumped in the car and made the 9 hour round trip to pick it up so it could have a final home back in Santa Barbara on the “Anacapa Arch Rock” project!

The “Anacapa Arch Rock” project has the most colors I’ve ever used in a piece of art. With hundreds of pieces to keep track of, 18 different colors spread out over three components, and a combination of oil and water based stains and finishes, I had to create a complex number system to make sure every piece was given the right stain and finish.

Over 300 hours of design and labor went into this project. Around 250 individualy hand drawn, cut, sanded, stained, and finished pieces and around 200 individually placed spacers and 200 pre-drilled, and counter- sunk wood screws came together to create the Arch Rock, Sun, and Pacfic Ocean displayed in this project. With multiple levels of spacing and a hand crafted frame created from native Santa Barbara Cypress this project is definitely a very special piece of art. From start to finish this project received my full attention. I had to dig deep in to my bag of tricks and utilize my ingenuity to make sure everything came out looking perfect. I truly enjoyed the experience and am so thankful for the clients who gave me the opportunity to take the adventure!