Ann Morris

Much of her work is inspired by bones and skeletons, and in works like Trinity she manages to collapse the boundaries between plant, animal and human life. In other works, like Death’s Sister, her work is so organic and lifelike that it is almost impossible to distinguish between the bronze and the actual living plants which surround the piece. The studio grounds also contain a gallery exhibition room displaying her smaller scale bronzes, such as the Bone Journey series, in which bones are transformed into vessels or boats, which the artist explains are “a symbol of our own journey through Nature and Time” (Ann Morris, from the visitor’s guide). The Ann Morris Sculpture Woods and Studio Grounds are open to the public on the first Saturday of every month, and are also often open during the island-wide Artist Studio Tours (which happen three times a year in May, August, and November). If you live in the Pacific Northwest or intend to visit the region, I highly recommend visiting The Sculpture Woods to see her inspiring work for yourself. For those of us who live here, it is like having a museum, a temple, and a lush forest occupying the same sacred ground.