In an exploration of the juxtaposition of organic and inorganic materials, I developed the Hanging Ash with Textpieces. The original 18 pieces were created for a 1995 solo show at the now defunct International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Minneapolis. This piece was also shown as part of a residency with the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan.

These pieces consist of stones suspended high above the viewer which lead down to bowls suspended just inches above the floor. The stones have been drilled and strung with steel aircraft cable. This cable runs up to the ceiling, through eyelets, and back down to where it braids into natural-fiber rope. The rope forms a triad which supports a metal bowl. The bowl is filled with rough ash interspersed with thinly cut strips of text.

The ash was obtained through personal items donated by close friends for the piece and subsequently immolated in a large bonfire. The interspersed text is cut from the pages of a 19th century book on the acquisition of the artistic sense.