About Hanging Materials

While the sound of the obsidian is the critical element of our chimes, we also delight in the abundance of plant matter for creating beautiful objects of art.      There are many lovely and wild beaches along the northern pacific coast, and we can be found during several weeks of the year, hiking and combing the coastline, finding treasures of driftwood and cones to combine with obsidian. Occasionally, we have found interesting bones of fish, whales, seals and other sea creatures.      Nature also provides an incredible array of shapes, sizes and colors of seedpods and cones. We particularly favor those of Australian and African origins for their durability as well as their unique structures. There are abundant varieties of protea, banksias and eucalyptus. Many of these grow in southern California, and we are able to gather and select a wonderful variety several times a year when we are in the vicinity. We have also found like-minded foragers who gather for us. We often have one-of-a-kind pieces in our exhibits at art festivals and garden shows.      All materials we use are collected with a reverence for balance in Nature. Everything we use is in abundance and/or replenishable, with little or no impact on the environment. We consider our materials "on loan." While they are durable and long lasting as chimes, they are unpreserved and will eventually go back to the earth where they came from.