One of my earliest works, I still consider this sculpture one of my greatest. I spent an entire summer creating this portal in the river woodlands of Austin, Texas, riding my bike across town multiple times a week

I was mostly very miserable living in that city, disillusioned by the vapid social scene and the seemingly insatiable urban growth. The world felt dark at that time and I was spiritually starved. This place and this project were my only respite — they reminded me that the world still contained magic. The location was a strange, seemingly forgotten, “wildlife sanctuary” on a sliver of edgelands which rested between a heavily industrialized zone, a major bridge, and the Colorado River, and was trafficked mostly by partiers who trashed it out every weekend and the houseless seeking somewhere to establish a camp. But there was also something intangibly enchanted about it, some lure that called to me from the space between

This is where I had my first experience with fireflies, one magical evening while weaving those mustang grape vines into that fallen hackberry tree. I encountered many other special creatures while working and picking up trash there, including egrets, opossums, raccoons, deer (even a lone buck!), hawks, owls, anoles, millipedes, and so many dragonflies. I really got to know this place, to befriend it

My intention was to foster a sense of sacredness to visitors, to wake others up to that same awe that I felt every time I was there. I wanted to heal it as much as it was healing me. Upon it’s completion, I walked through that portal and I never looked back. It opened up to me a whole new way of being in the world

I moved from Texas and the work was left anonymous. I hadn’t even documented it (I do regret that now, but perhaps I felt at the time that this strange thing I had made was too supernatural to be contained in a photo). All I have now are memories and a handful of pictures that I have managed to gather from other people. From what I have heard though, it garnered much fanfare and brought mystery, wonder, and joy to many over the years that it lasted.

Through a number of flood events, it has since deteriorated and fallen apart. Even the tree that once supported it is now completely gone. The portal is now closed, but the world I have found on the other side is still very much alive