Balancing Act

Time frames the story within this hourglass, inviting the viewer to reflect on the delicate balance water holds in sustaining life and shaping nature.  

The preciousness of all life depends on water, in our cells, across the earth, nourishing both plants and animals. Without it, our planet becomes inhospitable. Yet, when water arrives too forcefully, as in a storm, it can cause enormous damage. In some sense, water is both the softest, most life-giving substance and a force capable of carving stone and reclaiming coastlines.  

As the Tao Te Ching states, “Nothing is more flexible and yielding than water,” yet its necessity on Earth is absolute.  

I marvel at how finely tuned biological systems truly are. Water, both gentle and powerful, not only sustains us but can also serve as a metaphor for living in the world.  

It is not always easy to create a thought-provoking meditation in glass bringing into form deeper considerations that we all ought to recognize and honor while living on this beautiful planet. 

In this hourglass-like sculpture, the cracked, barren earth at the base symbolizes life without water – apparently unable to support growth – yet a plant appears to lift off as if uprooted from the parched ground. At the top, a dramatic swirl spirals down like a storm surging toward the plant.  It will either support it or destroy it such is the balance and power of nature.