Copper Creation

Last year, a once-majestic old maple tree finally gave out after years of decline. Unfortunately, it chose to fall while I was standing right in its path. It came down so quietly, I didn’t notice until the bluestone sidewalk beneath it started cracking. As I turned my head too slowly, it was already beyond the 30º point.

After a scream loud enough to alert the neighborhood, instinct took over. I ran, took a flying leap up the porch steps, and made it — just in time for the tree to slam into the third floor (my studio), then crash down onto the porch roof, where I was standing. I dashed inside as branches punched through the railings and mangled the roof behind me.

Power was out for over a week, internet was down, and cleanup was slow. But no one was hurt, and that’s what matters.

It’s taken nearly a year to repair the damage. The studio’s coming back together. Thankfully, some of my photo gear had just been brought in from a shoot and was spared. The copper porch roof wasn’t so lucky—but it’s now beautifully repaired.

I saved a few things from that day:

• The sidewalk's bluestone slab I was standing on now marks the start of my walkway.

• A section of the tree’s wood, though I wish I had saved more.

• Some of the old copper, which will become part of a sculpture—my first time working with the material this way.

It's been just over a year since the tree fell, and its welcome shade on hot summer days is noticeably absent, and the landscape is unmistakably altered. The entire process has been long and — at times — completely draining, but I’ve met some wonderful people along the way and I have learned a lot from them and the overall experience.

But now...now it's time to get back to work.