Artist Statement for current series

Found and Lost: A story of functional extinction

Cyndie Rauls resides in the Driftless region of Wisconsin.  Surrounded by the deeply wooded topography of the area, she looks to the voids left in the wake of the emerald ash borer.  Cyndie collects etched and lifeless pieces of ash trees; remnants that are as visually striking as their devastation is emotionally resonant.  Once gathered, she reconstructs the spirit of the ash tree into sculptural form.  The scars left behind by the beetle provide the foundation for each sculpture, while sister woods of mahogany, walnut, cherry, oak and hickory are integrated for their color, texture, and contrast. 

Cyndie dives deeply into the relationship between what is found and what is lost, drawing a sharp focus on functional extinction.  Her process is intuitive, allowing the wood to guide her in physically documenting the tree’s story.  What materializes is an abstract meditation on the beauty and power of wood.  Each sculpture is meant to draw attention to the ash tree’s journey in an attempt to preserve a fragment of its existence before it is lost forever.

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