The Muskoka Silver Birch Collection

In 2014 when I was trying to figure out what to make specially for Muskoka, I was stumped.  Then, I went to visit my dear grandmother.  At the time, she was 98, and had full on dementia.  I visited her often, and this time, took her outside to see the gardens.  It struck me that she was the one who taught me all about flora, yet here I was telling her what everything was.

When we came to a stand of birch trees, it hit me.  The collection should be about birch.  I picked up a piece of bark that had fallen off the tree and handed it to her.  She said it was beautiful, and she felt it, I mean, really felt it, for a long period of time.

I made twelve Muskoka Silver Birch pieces that year, and told the story to each and every person who purchased a piece from the collection.  I decided after the last piece sold that I would continue the collection, for my dear grandmother.

My grandmother passed away on August 7, 2015, in her 100th year.