PO Box 703, Black Diamond,
Alberta, Canada, T0L 0H0
Fracture-Scaping begins with naturally found wood fractures. I read their ridges, recesses, and planes as fields of landscape possibility, using chromatic interpretation to reveal a composition guided by the fracture. The fracture remains the governing form and a participant in authorship.
PRESERVED FORM, PAINTED INTERPRETATION
Interpretation remains confined to naturally fractured surfaces. Unfractured exterior wood and bark are preserved, and expressive fracture geometry is not mechanically reshaped. Minimal preparation is permitted only on the horizontal base plane when required for stable presentation.
PROVENANCE AND STEWARDSHIP
The practice preserves each work’s available connection to its source, while By Nature works require documented geographic provenance and chain of custody.
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1.2c-FSN-2026
Acrylic on naturally fractured wood
Completed - Oct. 27, 2026
Dimensions - 7-5/8 × 7-7/8 in (base x height)
Recovered - June 6, 2026 · [Gorge Creek Road, Kananaskis Country, Alberta]
Authorization - [LTP4626012]
Expedition Data - [EXPEDITION 1.2(c), 2026]
Landscape Context - Eastern Kananaskis foothills
Conservation Contribution - 10% (upon sale) [CPAWS Southern Alberta]
Stewardship Context - [CPAWS Southern Alberta], SALTS
Cliffside Bog is organized around two unequal fracture masses: a broad pale escarpment and a denser stand of dark vertical forms. The recessed basin between them is interpreted through blue water, dark ground and yellow-green bog vegetation, while sparse growth along the pale fracture establishes scale and depth.
The composition follows the timber’s existing planes rather than reshaping them. Ridges become cliffs, narrow fibres read as forest, and low broken sections form wetland edges. As the work turns, the basin alternately opens and closes between the two masses, holding the painted interior and exposed wood in tension.
Multiple base probes confirmed moisture readings below 12% following stabilization. Moisture was noted as below 15% at recovery; a separate intake measurement was not specifically recorded.
Borate treatment was applied by pressure sprayer on June 11, 2026, at a recorded concentration of 7%.
During stabilization, a loose rear fragment identified at intake was separated by hand. A power planer was used to square the base plane and flatten its rear section. Minor splintering occurred around the base perimeter during planing, while the principal fracture structure was preserved.
Studio treatment began September 12, 2026. Two coats of matte medium were applied to the exterior unfractured front plane and the steep vertical fractures on the reverse. Black gesso prepared the fracture planes selected for interpretation, followed by heavy-body acrylic. The painted areas received an isolation coat, the complete work received two coats of matte spray varnish, and gloss medium was applied selectively as a final highlight.
The studio phase concluded on September 26, 2026. The Certificate of Authenticity base was subsequently remade three times, with the final base completed on October 27, 2026.
Recovered between Ware Creek and Threepoint Creek in the Mesa Butte area of eastern Kananaskis Country, this work originates within a foothills landscape connected to southern Alberta’s ranching and conservation history. Ware Creek takes its name from John Ware, whose original ranch included lands farther downstream.
Nearby Gorge Creek Road once connected the northern foothills with the Sheep River valley. Following flood damage in 2005, its middle section was designated for conversion to non-motorized trail use, supporting wildlife habitat and backcountry recreation. Together, these associations place the work within a landscape shaped by human passage, watershed processes, and continuing stewardship.
[LEARN MORE ABOUT JOHN WARE]
[SHEEP RIVER AND BLUEROCK MANAGEMENT PLAN]