IDO YOSHIMOTO_RED

The giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is more than a tree but a forest, an experience. These groves consist of trees living well over 2000 years and standing close to 400 feet tall. We are like fruit flies living our lives in a blink of an eye to them. Their magnitude is near impossible for us to comprehend from our perspective.

Here are but a few shards of these past lives. The broken bones of giants. They are made of nothing more than the countless years of our coastal fog, the warm California sun, the minerals of the soil. All are plain to see in the grain. —Ido Yoshimoto

Yoshimoto’s work is grounded in the land and forests of West Marin where he has lived most of his life. Working as an arborist for many years, his vast understanding of the properties and dynamics of the local wood formed the foundation of his artistic practice.

With respect for the story of each tree found within the fragment of wood he selects; Yoshimoto is inspired by the characteristics and configurations as he gradually peels back the layers to highlight the nature of the material.

With every piece he makes, it is an exploration of form.

Creating both sculptural and functional art from large pieces of raw material, the conversation Yoshimoto has with each work is based on what exists within the tree — the rings, scars, and grain; all slowly revealing its history. His concept and direction are an evolving response based on what he’s found in each piece of wood.

For Yoshimoto and his practice, this has become a convergence of external agendas from lifelong influences and inspiration and his own vision of working with and within the history of the wood. The result is a collaboration between the two, a record of a meeting in which each is heightened by the other.

STAY TUNED: Video from event will be posted soon.