We found Dallas Galbraith, metal sculptor from Indiana, at the Ann Arbor Art Fair again this year. His work has always appealed to me, and I found a perfect piece to complement the colors and wood tones in our guest bathroom. At the inception of Marietta Wood Works many years ago in Georgia, I incorporated a Live Oak in my pamphlets and business cards. Dallas said the piece we found could be interpreted as a Live Oak, a Mangrove, or even a Banyan Tree, but since the Live Oak held special meaning for me, that’s what he wrote on the sales receipt!

I hung the Live Oak sculpture in its new home and it was beautiful, but just a bit small for the wall expanse. I brought a photo of the sculpture into SketchUp and designed a twelve-sided frame with copper rays to hang behind the Live Oak. The frame is made of white ash and stained with Minwax Provincial to match the wood cabinetry in the room. To complement the materials in the sculpture, bare copper wire is incorporated in two places around the frame, and as simple rays connecting opposing sides of the frame.