The Serpent (130'x 10'x 7')

The Serpent was inspired by the mythical serpent in the Garden of Eden who enticed Eve to eat the apple and gain the knowledge of good and evil. While it began as a retaining wall for erosion and flood control, as we laid the granite walls by hand along those sinuous meanders of the Rio Pueblo, I began seeing the serpent and decided to celebrate the legendary, biblical creature who brought us knowledge and wisdom in the story of Eden. Death has always been with us, contrary to the legend. Let's celebrate life while we are here. Our existence is miraculous when one considers that we are floating in vast reaches of the universe, which is mostly lifeless, with its endless stars and galaxies. Earth, our unique, planetary home, brought us into being through the process of evolution. Its web of life sustains us. It is miraculous that we are here.

It is impossible to photograph this massive environmental landscape sculpture in a single image. When I walk to the river and come upon it, I am amazed that I created it. It contains over 40 tons of fractured granite that were gathered from the mountains and fitted together like an enormous puzzle. Some pieces weigh over 400 lbs. Two of us moved them with levers and fulcrums, rollers, dollies, and crossed the river with them on long wooden planks.