Alma de Agua

In a tree, and its wood, I see a solid monument to water. When it splits, I hear thunder and icebergs cracking. This work is so much bigger than art egos or table or bowls. Water is life, it rushes up the sapwood fountains and down our veins, it binds us together from the start of time, ever powerful in its unending flow. To be like water is to be in alignment. To resist rigidity is to find a deeper strength. My line of Alma de Agua ("Soul of Water") tables is inspired by the way water has shaped and left its mark on the grain of this sacred medium. The table top is cut through the middle in winding paths inspired by the grain of the same piece—meaning that each iteration will feature a unique design—and put back together with a contrasting veneer for a fine flowing detail and point of conversation. The stretcher below hearkens to the lines on the top with a gentle, simplified S-curve. The trestle legs pay homage to design sensibilities found in Spanish, American Indigenous, and Thai woodcrafts that inspire me, and feature a "window" for additional perspective of the curved stretcher, as well as a quiet nod to the Taíno symbol for water in a marquetry inlay.