There is a sense of attachment to permanence and loss that all of us have -- particularly if you've experienced a lot of loss in life. I imagine this could be an effective form of therapy.
It's therapeutic for me, and it's also an inoculation against loss. it prepares you for loss. You practice doing it over and over.
I think there's something to be said for going with the flow of what some people call chaos or crisis but what really just is the natural order of things.
I've been thinking about this a lot because of the Day of the Dead. Death has been an important companion in my life and it's been an important thing in my art. It's a natural part of life that we don't get to face that much. So, I think a lot of my artwork actually is an acknowledgement of the inevitability of loss.
What would you like people to take away from one of your shows, one of your public gatherings, one of your exhibits or even from this interview?
There's a duality I hope people come away with -- there are two dualities, actually. One, that nature is extremely fragile in some ways, and extremely powerful in other ways. And likewise, as humans, we are vulnerable and our lives are uncertain. But we also have the power to influence things. And in particular, we have the power to help nature and to protect it.
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You can see more of Zach Pine's work and upcoming event schedule at his website: Zach Pine Nature Sculpture. And for a small sample of Zach's public works, see a Nature Sculpture Photo Gallery.