Fissure by Christopher Pickslay

The leaves of oaks grow in a variety of shapes, and the valley oak’s are some of the most intricate. This mosaic gives a close-up look at an individual leaf, the shapes of tesserae showing off its undulating veins and lobes. The forces that shaped this slice of the tree are evident in the worm holes, the expanding grain, the gouges from the saw, and the split that formed as it dried. The wood is held back together physically with inlaid oak bow ties, and metaphorically by the mosaic overlaying the widest part of the crack.

This piece was created for the \"If A Tree Falls\" exhibition at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA. The Boundary Oak, a local landmark, fell in 2019. Artists were invited to use hunks of this giant valley oak tree to make art pieces for this juried exhibition. 

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