I have been telling stories with cedar wood for thirty years. There are elements which appear to come from something or could be used to do something. They might stimulate visual associations, one work hanging on the wall like a worn piece of farm equipment; another rocking back and forth like a bickering couple.

While the stories that gave rise to the forms are personal, they plummet deeply into a shared vocabulary. They are triggers to memories, at the core of our lives.

My creative process begins as thoughts. They are glimmers of observations about relationships, or an emotional charge in my life. They emerge as images in my drawings. From the drawings I begin to build the sculpture often returning to the drawings for clarity and to explore new options.

My primary material is standard 8 foot sticks of cedar wood. I am devoted to the inherent expressive nature of the wood as well as the pliability, color and texture, its earthy smell, its simple beauty. Using a variety of machinery - hand and power tools - I cut, glue, clamp and dowel the wood. Elements of metal, wire, vines and other found objects are occasionally incorporated. These, along with the use of oil-paint, create a dialogue between materials and forms.

Rachel Rotenberg