THE AUDIO ART TOUR
We are offering an Audio Art Tour of some of the Art in the Garden.
Here is a preview of the art. Click on one of the 24 stops on the tour for a brief description, or purchase a catalog to have an expanded written version.
The Art Tour, the audio equipment, and the Art Catalog are made possible by our wonderful sponsor, The Davis Foundations.
Here is a preview of the art. Click on one of the 24 stops on the tour for a brief description, or purchase a catalog to have an expanded written version.
The Art Tour, the audio equipment, and the Art Catalog are made possible by our wonderful sponsor, The Davis Foundations.
Map of the Art Stops
The Acrobats
At the start of the Forest Bathing Path, three figures form an arch. This arch is a portal, marking a shift from daily stress to a sense of calm. You'll pass through many such portals as you explore the garden, each one signaling a new part of the journey.
To make the Acrobats, I started with a small model and had it enlarged. Bob and I brought the pieces home in two trucks and bolted them together.
A couple weeks later, a phoebe built a nest in the top figure. It felt like a special welcome.
Log Jam
Log Jam began when I saw hollow trees cut down for a parking lot. I sliced and stacked them between two trees—simple, cheap, and striking. Bob named it.
Over time, it will decay and return to the earth, embracing the Japanese idea of wabi-sabi, or beauty in impermanence.
In October, during our Fairy and Hobbit House Festival, tiny creatures might move in.
Over time, it will decay and return to the earth, embracing the Japanese idea of wabi-sabi, or beauty in impermanence.
In October, during our Fairy and Hobbit House Festival, tiny creatures might move in.
Gothic Arbor
Plants can be sculpture too—like topiary or hedge mazes. You’ll see more sculptural plantings throughout the garden.
This living arch is made of fastigiate oak trees trained on iron supports in a Gothic shape. (They replaced diseased beeches in 2025.) Its grand form makes you feel small beside nature.
The arch also connects the Nexus clearing to the Wildlife Pond. Look across the pond to see three sculptures placed to draw you forward. Later, when you pass them, look back to spot the bench framed under the arch.
This living arch is made of fastigiate oak trees trained on iron supports in a Gothic shape. (They replaced diseased beeches in 2025.) Its grand form makes you feel small beside nature.
The arch also connects the Nexus clearing to the Wildlife Pond. Look across the pond to see three sculptures placed to draw you forward. Later, when you pass them, look back to spot the bench framed under the arch.
Razor's Edge
When I picked up Razor’s Edge, it was beautiful—but sharp and dangerous. So, I chose to hang it in the trees, turning the forest into a gallery. Being married to a mechanical genius helps make ideas like this happen.
I’ve always loved saws—the repeating teeth and their ties to trees and farming. A visitor once told me that “sierra” and “serration” share the same root, deepening that nature connection.
The tall vertical parts come from a sickle bar mower, a tool I often use in my work.
I’ve always loved saws—the repeating teeth and their ties to trees and farming. A visitor once told me that “sierra” and “serration” share the same root, deepening that nature connection.
The tall vertical parts come from a sickle bar mower, a tool I often use in my work.
Termi
Take a seat on the thrones at the Termi, where a 900-foot axis ends.
Ahead is the pond, the Allée, Torii, and Golden Ring; behind you, a wool wall from a flower show, old mill columns, misfired bricks, and recycled teak chairs from the Mekong River.
This spot is like a stage—three walls, a floor, and thrones—inviting you to sit tall and feel royal.
Ahead is the pond, the Allée, Torii, and Golden Ring; behind you, a wool wall from a flower show, old mill columns, misfired bricks, and recycled teak chairs from the Mekong River.
This spot is like a stage—three walls, a floor, and thrones—inviting you to sit tall and feel royal.
Oculi
You first saw Oculi through the Gothic Arbor. The parts come from cutter bars and bulldozer sprockets—materials I love to reuse.
The tall, triangular shapes feel almost human, adding focus and shadow without being heavy. Grouping three together creates a sense of dialogue between them.
Be sure to look back through the Arbor for a different view.
The tall, triangular shapes feel almost human, adding focus and shadow without being heavy. Grouping three together creates a sense of dialogue between them.
Be sure to look back through the Arbor for a different view.
The Family from Hell
The Family from Hell is made from old wood stove doors I found in junkyards—I love their hinged, decorative design.
Mom wears shoe stretchers and looks fierce; Dad is bewildered, and the child has a ghoulish vibe. The doors can still open. Their dog, Birkenstock, has a faucet cover face and sandal ears.
Like the Metal Folk, they hint at a story through their relationships.
Mom wears shoe stretchers and looks fierce; Dad is bewildered, and the child has a ghoulish vibe. The doors can still open. Their dog, Birkenstock, has a faucet cover face and sandal ears.
Like the Metal Folk, they hint at a story through their relationships.
Quetzalcoatl
Look up to see Quetzalcoatl, named after the Aztec god. Like Razor’s Edge, it uses the tree canopy to create mystery.
It’s made of cutter bar blades and copper coils for the tail. Visitors often recognize the components.
This area inspired my site-specific sculptures, including a caged net of horse bones and other creatures in the Dark Woods. There is a driftwood piece from Whidbey Island, with a red eye added by Bob. Opposite it is the Red-Eyed Bug, inspired by car taillights.
It’s made of cutter bar blades and copper coils for the tail. Visitors often recognize the components.
This area inspired my site-specific sculptures, including a caged net of horse bones and other creatures in the Dark Woods. There is a driftwood piece from Whidbey Island, with a red eye added by Bob. Opposite it is the Red-Eyed Bug, inspired by car taillights.
Inukshuk
Grinding stones have special meaning, and this one’s unique carved pattern has puzzled visitors. Lichens add magic as they change over time.
A gift, I honor this antique grinding wheel by placing it vertically. A colleague compared it to Inuit stone figures, so I named it Inukshuk, meaning "in the likeness of humans."
It marks the 800-foot east-west axis. Turn around to see the Torii and pergola on the Landing. Inukshuk can be seen from the Landing, so be sure to look back at it later.
A gift, I honor this antique grinding wheel by placing it vertically. A colleague compared it to Inuit stone figures, so I named it Inukshuk, meaning "in the likeness of humans."
It marks the 800-foot east-west axis. Turn around to see the Torii and pergola on the Landing. Inukshuk can be seen from the Landing, so be sure to look back at it later.
Belvedere
The Belvedere is another example of how landscape features can be art. Like the Termi, it’s a stage set with walls and a floor, overlooking a beautiful field conserved by our neighbor.
Landscape designer Julie Messervy calls it an “archetypal harbor”—a space that feels secure and peaceful, where you can relax while enjoying the view. These are my favorite types of spaces.
A skilled excavator operator and I built the wall from stones left over from blasting bedrock for the parking area.
Landscape designer Julie Messervy calls it an “archetypal harbor”—a space that feels secure and peaceful, where you can relax while enjoying the view. These are my favorite types of spaces.
A skilled excavator operator and I built the wall from stones left over from blasting bedrock for the parking area.
Spiral
The spiral is an ancient form, as are circles. With its spinning ventilators, spiral uprights, and ground pattern, this piece feels musical.
Spiral grew organically. I had been collecting roof ventilators for years because I loved how they spin. Finding the largest one completed the set and inspired the rest of the piece, including the cobbled spiral and hanging ring.
Spiral grew organically. I had been collecting roof ventilators for years because I loved how they spin. Finding the largest one completed the set and inspired the rest of the piece, including the cobbled spiral and hanging ring.
Solare
Solare features familiar elements like cutter bar blades, a saw blade, and stone orbs, inspired by the solar system and movement near the Termi.
Made in sections for transport, Solare comes apart like the Acrobats. The Golden Ring was a gift from a neighbor and Bob hung it between two trees.
From under the Golden Ring, you can see back through the 900-foot axis, with views of the Allée, Torii, and Termi with its wool wall.
Made in sections for transport, Solare comes apart like the Acrobats. The Golden Ring was a gift from a neighbor and Bob hung it between two trees.
From under the Golden Ring, you can see back through the 900-foot axis, with views of the Allée, Torii, and Termi with its wool wall.
Torii
The Torii, inspired by Shinto shrine gates, serves as a sculptural focal point for both the Termi and the Spiral for the north-south axis and the intersecting east-west axis from the Landing to Inukshuk.
Its size and elegant curves complement the trees and create a graceful presence. (Photo by Jonathan Hornbeck)
Its size and elegant curves complement the trees and create a graceful presence. (Photo by Jonathan Hornbeck)
Entwined
We inherited this piece from Bob’s father. Made by blacksmith Lee Sauder, its vegetal form and the large glass orb, a fishing float, fits perfectly in the garden. I powder-coated it cobalt blue to make it pop.
I enjoy colorful garden sculptures, though I usually prefer patinas of rust. Art in the garden remains captivating year-round, with bright colors helping to lift the spirits during winter, much like a red cardinal does.
I enjoy colorful garden sculptures, though I usually prefer patinas of rust. Art in the garden remains captivating year-round, with bright colors helping to lift the spirits during winter, much like a red cardinal does.
Cairns
Cairns, used since ancient times, serve both spiritual and practical purposes, marking burial sites or trails. The Inukshuk is a type of cairn.
Inspired by hikes in the White Mountains, these cairns guide travelers through fog. We built them early in the garden’s history, pleased with their simplicity and impact. They’re a low-cost way to enhance the garden, and the kids used to turn them into dollhouses with pebble inhabitants.
Inspired by hikes in the White Mountains, these cairns guide travelers through fog. We built them early in the garden’s history, pleased with their simplicity and impact. They’re a low-cost way to enhance the garden, and the kids used to turn them into dollhouses with pebble inhabitants.
Four Seasons Totem
I carved the Four Seasons Totem in our living room one winter, and it was such a mess I called it "Hack and Vac."
Made from soft, easy-to-carve mahogany, the wood was so workable that my first cut left a big gouge—I’d just finished carving a denser cherry piece.
The totem reflects the number four: four seasons and four elements, with our family mandala of five figures holding hands at the bottom of each side.
I love tall, slender forms like this one because they fit beautifully in a garden, framed by low plants.
Made from soft, easy-to-carve mahogany, the wood was so workable that my first cut left a big gouge—I’d just finished carving a denser cherry piece.
The totem reflects the number four: four seasons and four elements, with our family mandala of five figures holding hands at the bottom of each side.
I love tall, slender forms like this one because they fit beautifully in a garden, framed by low plants.
Metal Folk
The Metal Folk is an ensemble meant to be viewed as a whole, like the Spiral.
I made them during the peak of our garden art business, but I was creating them faster than I could sell them. I kept seeing faces and bodies in my pile of “littles” and had to bring them together.
Eventually, they started crowding me out and demanding a place of their own. Luckily, I had just removed a border near the arborvitaes, which became the perfect spot.
I gave each piece its own pedestal to stop myself from making more. I think they like it there, spaced apart so they don’t fight.
After all these years, I can almost hear them talking. It would make an interesting play.
I made them during the peak of our garden art business, but I was creating them faster than I could sell them. I kept seeing faces and bodies in my pile of “littles” and had to bring them together.
Eventually, they started crowding me out and demanding a place of their own. Luckily, I had just removed a border near the arborvitaes, which became the perfect spot.
I gave each piece its own pedestal to stop myself from making more. I think they like it there, spaced apart so they don’t fight.
After all these years, I can almost hear them talking. It would make an interesting play.
Chi Wara Antelope Heads
These animal sculptures mark the entrance to the Rock Garden, similar to how lions guard tombs and libraries.
They were inspired by a photo from an African Art exhibit I saw in the newspaper. The heads are made from plow parts, the manes from railroad spikes, and the horns from an antique scale.
A visitor, who had worked with the Bamana people in Burkina Faso, recognized them as Chi Waras—ceremonial antelope headdresses worn by farmers to honor the spirit of fertility. The antelope’s pawing symbolizes the cycle of life, as it propagates seeds through its manure.
They were inspired by a photo from an African Art exhibit I saw in the newspaper. The heads are made from plow parts, the manes from railroad spikes, and the horns from an antique scale.
A visitor, who had worked with the Bamana people in Burkina Faso, recognized them as Chi Waras—ceremonial antelope headdresses worn by farmers to honor the spirit of fertility. The antelope’s pawing symbolizes the cycle of life, as it propagates seeds through its manure.
Synopeaks
Syncopeaks is the large sculpture at the center of GrassAcre, anchoring that space, and is a focal point as you sit under the CopTop or at the Landing and gaze at the surrounding grasses.
It was made from two air compressor tanks, which my fabricator cut into six strips and arranged in a wave pattern. I designed the shapes, which were then plasma-cut. We repeated this until we had minimal scrap and a series of waves that decrease in size.
The piece is meant to evoke mountain layers, but I may be the only one who sees that. What do you see?
It was made from two air compressor tanks, which my fabricator cut into six strips and arranged in a wave pattern. I designed the shapes, which were then plasma-cut. We repeated this until we had minimal scrap and a series of waves that decrease in size.
The piece is meant to evoke mountain layers, but I may be the only one who sees that. What do you see?
GrassAcre
I designed GrassAcre as an abstract painting using ornamental grasses in blue, green, and red. It began with thousands of plugs and lots of upkeep, but it shines in the fall. It was inspired in part by Roberto Burle Marx, adding a bold impact.
As the grasses mature, their colors shift—bluestem turns from blue-gray to violet to cinnamon, Hakone grass fades to beige, and switchgrass takes on burgundy tones.
Often seen as weeds, bluestem and switchgrass truly shine here.
As the grasses mature, their colors shift—bluestem turns from blue-gray to violet to cinnamon, Hakone grass fades to beige, and switchgrass takes on burgundy tones.
Often seen as weeds, bluestem and switchgrass truly shine here.
ConeTown Arbor
This arbor is another portal, like the Acrobats, marking the passage between ConeTown, a collection of colorful conifers, and Shrubaria, a cathedral-like grove.
It is inspired by the dude ranch look with the letters acting like a 3D cattle brand. I shaped the cones from metal pieces resembling pinecone scales that I found years ago at a junkyard. The needles are made from old coat hangers. The uprights are powder-coated street culverts,
It is inspired by the dude ranch look with the letters acting like a 3D cattle brand. I shaped the cones from metal pieces resembling pinecone scales that I found years ago at a junkyard. The needles are made from old coat hangers. The uprights are powder-coated street culverts,
Great Balls of Fire
This Calder-like mobile, made by my father-in-law, originally hung on a Sycamore tree. After inheriting it, we installed it near our house until its supporting hickory fell, giving us the chance to repaint it and find a better spot. It now hangs in Shrubaria, bringing movement and color to the grove of tall oaks.
Spirit House
While traveling in Southeast Asia, I was struck by their spirit houses, ranging in size from small to as big as a doghouse, often on pedestals.
They honor the spirits of the land, with owners offering incense, flowers, drinks, money, cigarettes, and fruit daily.
Moved by the devotion these structures represent, I knew I would create my own. Now, several can be found around the property, each unique.
They honor the spirits of the land, with owners offering incense, flowers, drinks, money, cigarettes, and fruit daily.
Moved by the devotion these structures represent, I knew I would create my own. Now, several can be found around the property, each unique.
Bug Alley
After seeing a review of Bernard Durin’s beautiful insect illustrations, I was inspired to explore the world of bugs.
Small parts I’d collected, like calipers and drill bits, were perfect for creating insect parts. An old metal iron became a grasshopper head, and an upturned kid's bicycle seat turned into a praying mantis head.
The possibilities are endless, and I’m still adding to their population.
Small parts I’d collected, like calipers and drill bits, were perfect for creating insect parts. An old metal iron became a grasshopper head, and an upturned kid's bicycle seat turned into a praying mantis head.
The possibilities are endless, and I’m still adding to their population.