Bruja de la noche: oak root carving with stone and acrylic

I found this root on the Unadilla River where the water had eroded the base of a
very large, old Oak tree. The witch’s broom is made from another section of the
same root. The idea of creating a witch evolved as I carved away unusable parts
of the root and I was left with the piece that you see now; one solid chunk with
root tips extending away from it. Particularly after painting the root tips black, I
envisioned something emerging from the darkness and settled on the concept of
this sneering witch. I particularly enjoyed carving this piece because although it
is Oak, the grain, consistency, and smell of Oak root are very different from what
you find in that wood from the ground up.