Unique and original, Thomas Sheets' contemporary environmental assemblage wall art is composed of found driftwood objects. His show at Signatures Gallery is the first for this area.

Thomas had searched for years for the perfect medium to express and reflect his many moods. He experimented with oils, watercolors, ceramics, photography, as well as music. Then by accident, while beachcombing on the Oregon coast, he stumbled upon pieces of driftwood and naturally polished stones intertwined in the ever changing patterns of the water washed sand. "Epiphany!"

Each individual piece, like no other, tells its own story. Some are soft and smooth in serene harmony, others are jagged and rough in violent conflict. Each adds its own personality or accent, its own highlight to each assemblage. Thomas has immortalized these "sticks and stones" in his artwork. They live on instead of being lost forever.

Putting together this work is not easy. There are days, weeks, months of traveling the coastline regardless of the weather. Thomas, with his dog Tripper, hikes down to hidden beaches, gathering only the pieces that "speak" to him. Fighting the crashing surf for the perfect piece, then struggling to carry his load of "sticks and stones" up the rocky bluffs. Then comes the sorting, selecting, polishing, arranging and rearranging until the final vision is realized.

Keeping as close as possible to the original condition of the wood, the small pieces are combined with sea glass, wave washed stones, iron pyrite and other minerals. Some have copper wire and braided steel wire interwoven into the composed patterns and bas-relief compositions. Many are designed to be hung either horizontally or vertically, depending upon your wall space.