The word xylem itself is derivative from the Greek xylon, meaning wood, and references a type of tissue that transports water and soluble mineral nutrients from the roots throughout the plant. It is a vast arboreal vascular system that nurtures the tree.

Trees symbolize numerous aspects of life: Strength, fertility, interconnection, community, genealogy, etc., all of which is derivative of a tree’s actual form. The roots, firmly planted, draw up nutrients; The canopy draws energy from above; The trunk, a weathered body, provides material strength for the whole. And all parts are interconnected. These elements offer to us a symbolism of feelings we seek in our individual landscapes, a sense of belonging, striving towards community. A tree’s roots symbolize an ongoing relationship with surroundings, as does our concept of ‘roots.’

Xylem may stand in stark contrast from my last work, Tehom, which was inspired by the utter depths of the water, the abyss. But Xylem is a natural evolution from Tehom–the underworld is projecting itself up, organically. The figures in Tehom reach out; in Xylem they are finding purpose–as the life-blood of the nature to which we are all so connected. The life-water of Tehom is being drawn into the structures that are Xylem.