Two nights ago, I went to hear a jazz recital by some of the faculty and students in the music department at Central Washington University. The music was terrific, a lovely swinging reminder of one of the main benefits of living in a college town. Afterward, I met a local artist known for his woodworking skills. Several decades ago, he made a functional wooden desk shaped like an elephant – about the size of a baby pachyderm, it sits open for public viewing on the second floor of the Science building at Central. Closed by the time I got there that night, I went the next day to check it out.

the eye of the elephant desk

I read that it took Chris Schambacher, the artist and woodworker, three years to make this piece. My first thought was, yikes, I don’t have the patience to spend three years on anything. Then I remembered: it’s been five years since I started the novel that will be published this spring. The second manuscript I plan to try to publish is now two and a half years old.

What’s that saying – an elephant never forgets? I tend to forget just how long it takes art to ripen, sometimes. Thanks to Chris’s gorgeous work for reminding me.