Dua sumsum. In my native home of Ghana, this statement represents the spirit of nature, or more specifically the energy and life-force within the trees. As a child, my grandparents continued a tradition of storytelling that has been passed down through the generations. Many of the stories had a common theme of the forest coming to life when people are asleep. From an early age these old stories instilled in me a strong respect and understanding for the natural world. Wood carving has also been a long tradition in Ghana, but originally one with very strict morals as to upholding respect for dua sumsum. Only trees that had fallen naturally in the forest were allowed to be carved. In my work I try to maintain the traditions and morals of my culture as I allow the storytelling to continue through my sculpture and in the words of the representations of the trees themselves.

My sculpture is an exploration of organic wood forms that arouse the connection between human being and nature. I choose to work with natural, raw materials like ancient wood, drift wood, and the roots of trees because of my deep respect for the strength and spirit contained within the wood. Much of my inspiration comes to me simply from deeply studying a piece of wood. I will often spend weeks gazing at a particular root or log until the forms emerge, almost as if the wood itself is telling me what to carve. During the carving process, creative insight merges with the organic forms and natural flaws of the wood, guiding my tools to arrive at a meaningful form. I love working with both traditional African and modern day tools in creating my sculpture. The woods resistance to the tools energizes me as it navigates the direction to its new yet unrefined self. The various forms and shapes emerge and evolve as I carve, releasing them from their derivative state.

Wood sculpting is a collaboration of my thought and my history, with the intrinsic nature of the material. I use mainly rescued woods such as mahogany, walnut and yellow wood that otherwise would just be burned for charcoal. Locally, I use all kinds of reclaimed woods that normally would end up as firewood or mulch. My style varies to represent abstract, gestural forms and figures, as well as the raw simplistic nature of the material itself. My sculptural statements are strongly connected to the human spirit as a reminder of our inherent connection with the natural world. Just as art is man’s attempt to understand himself and express what he has found to others, my sculpture helps me find the meaning to the path that I have traveled and continue the traditional storytelling of the connection between man and nature with an understanding that we all arise from one root.