Erosion is perhaps nature’s most breathtakingly beautiful phenomenon. On a grand scale it has given me my favorite haunts, the canyons and sculpted rocks of Zion, the cliffs and hoodoos of Bryce, the vast landscape and intimate corners of Grand Staircase, Escalante, and the unfathomable Grand Canyon. Only wind and water have been at work there. Not one year in the past thirty years has passed without my taking at least one soul-reviving visit to these monumental testaments to forces beyond imagination which were created over periods of time that I cannot begin to comprehend. I am brought to my knees with awe and joy in the presence of such majesty. I am reminded of my true, minuscule importance. I need and welcome that reminder.
On my David Alan travels I constantly seek pieces that show nature’s work of erosion on man made objects. Once found, we may give these pieces a nudge with a bit of sand paper or wax to enhance their beauty but they stand on their own. A discarded teak mortar gains beauty over time when left out to weather. A boat hull once again becomes more wood that boat.
In this show, “Erosion, Nature’s Impact on Man’s Creations,” we present a very special collection of man-made, naturally eroded objects, originally sculpted from wood and stone. Whether it’s a cast iron anchor from a Chinese ship sunk 300 yrs ago, a Dayak ironwood sculpture from Borneo that has weathered for 150 years, or a well-worn 200 year old stone ancestral statue from Sumatra Island, each piece in the show has been enhanced and mystified by the work of erosion. Only creation and erosion persist, in their endless cycles.
Please join us in appreciating these objects touched by both man and nature when you visit David Alan Collection from September 11th to October 7th. We invite you to imagine and envision a unique piece of history in your home or garden.
