Year in review: After the Storm. Halfway through making the pieces for this show, Vince Skelly lost access to his studio, so started carving on highway turnouts and abandoned lots. Fitting, given the rebellious sourcing method for the materials, too. At the start of the year, 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. To preserve the legacy of the felled trees, Skelly drove around in the days following the storm, and—in a race against city officials who would likely have pulped the material—he marked trees which had usable timber, which he gathered at his studio. For After the Storm, presented at FARAGO Gallery, Skelly carved both functional and decorative works; we opened the show with a dinner cooked by Lee Desrosiers (@leedesrosiers), with chicken smoked over chippings of cedar and oak—offcuts and scraps from the sculptures themselves. Just as important as showing the works—and encouraging people to engage and interact with the material—was to tell the story of the wood. We created a printed journal with images taken in the days following the storm by Justin Chung (@justinchung), showing the intriguing process of Vince’s salvage and harvesting of timber. The journal served as a beautiful record and a harsh reminder about the challenges we face with a changing climate. Thank you to FARAGO Gallery for hosting this show, to @simonviii and Justin for creating the beautiful journal, to Ali (@moranmoranco) for sharing the story of the show, and to Vince for your thoughtful craftsmanship. @vince.skelly @farago.xyz