Maple & Obsidian

This piece marries two local forces: wood and fire.
The 8-foot live-edge maple has been patiently sanded to 800 grit, left untreated so its natural sheen and waterfall grain can breathe.

From the underside hangs a 50-pound heart of volcanic glass—obsidian gathered in the vineyards of Obsidian Ridge Winery and gifted to Peter when their Sonoma Plaza tasting room opened in 2020. An old tire chain, reworked and tightened link by link, holds the stone in a quiet, suspended grip.

Beneath it all, a relic does the heavy lifting: a steel concrete form originally used in Petaluma for the 1955 Highway 101 bridge installations. Peter welded struts and brackets to maintain its shape, letting history show through the seams.

Up north, Mt. Konocti’s ancient eruptions scattered vast beds of obsidian—glassy echoes of the earth’s heat. The mountain is woven through Pomo stories, and even its name, “Konocti,” is said to mean “big rock,” a nod to the land’s stubborn core.

Here the maple’s cross striations and wandering grain meet the obsidian’s midnight shine: tree and fire, grain and glass, suspended in conversation—our neck of the woods, held in place.