Beneath the surface of our day to day lives lay a world unimaginable to most; a world so apparently simple, and yet swelling with complexity, a symphony of bio-engineering, architecture, evolution, ingenuity, and an aesthetic beauty comparable to the great underground caverns of the world with their towering stalagtites and grand inner-chambers; but to appreciate this world, one must shift from the macroscopic perspective of humans, to the small but fascinating world of ants. In autumn of 1982, while camping with my father, I stumbled across a few pieces of ant wood, which would have fueled our fire pit had they not intrigued me, an apprentice woodworker, as much as they did. I took the ant wood home and began what would become a lifetime passion where ant wood would serve as the medium of my artwork. Collaborating with a small group of artists, lighting technicians, and one unique photographer, we've brought to surface the world of ants who, through necessity and survival, have given us an opportunity to let our imagination flow through the channels and chambers of the wood they carved. By combining fantasy, technology, and artistic talent, we have brought into existence an unprecedented form of art. The images presented on this site represent, in two-dimensions, artwork that actually exists in three-dimensions. Each piece is unique and equipped with lighting systems of varying complexity - some systems have upward of seventy high-intensity LEDs, controlled through 'lighting stages,' which are both automated and manual. Some pieces are designed to be placed on a horizontal surface; others are intended for hanging vertically. Please contact us if you are interested in viewing or purchasing this artwork. -John Estes