The routine clearing of excess saplings on my sister’s farm has led to one of my favorite painting practices.

Every once in a while my family brings me a pile of these rough-hewn wood slices from East Tennessee. It’s such a joy to explore the challenge of their small scale, round composition, and rugged surface.

This has become an ongoing collection of palm-sized oil paintings that embrace the lovely natural texture. Some are small studies of larger paintings while others are original compositions.