On Friday Jan 21, 2022, a severe wind storm hit Southern California, with gusts of over 83mph hitting Claremont, a small university town just outside of Los Angeles locally known as “The City of Trees.” During the six-hour event, over 300 trees were blown over—91 in city parks alone. In both an effort to assist the city with the cleanup, and to preserve the legacy of the felled trees, Vince drove around in the days following the storm and marked trees which had usable timber, which he gathered at his studio.

The variety of new woods available to Vince after the storm—deodar cedar, pine, redwood, live oak, eucalyptus, and magnolia—presented an interesting learning opportunity for Vince to finesse his craft with new materials. Halfway through making the pieces for the show, Vince lost access to his studio, so started carving on highway turnouts and abandoned lots.

As with all objects that Skelly sculpts, the soul and patina of the living tree are encouraged to shine through—acknowledging the sad loss of the ancient structures. For this project, Skelly has carved objects of which some are entirely functional—tables, chairs, benches—and others serving purely a decorative function.

A publication will be presented with images taken in the days following the storm by Los Angeles-based photographer Justin Chung, and showing the intriguing process of Vince’s salvage and harvesting of timber. The images serve as a beautiful record and a harsh reminder about the challenges we face with a changing climate.

With extreme meteorological events like the January wind storm only becoming more frequent with global heating, it’s imperative more than ever to listen to our ecosystems and to conserve and replenish them for future generations. A percentage of sales from works will be going to Sustainable Claremont. Working in tandem with the California Botanic Garden, the organization will be replanting the lost trees of Claremont.