I hope all of you out in blogland are having a great holiday season. My own family has enjoyed having the additional time to connect with folks we don’t see often enough. Today is the last day of the year. With no pressing commitments scheduled for today, I thought I would squeeze in one final post before the ball drops later tonight. You may be wondering what an image of a hand holding river polished and frosted bottle glass has to do with anything? Well, that’s the subject of this craftier than usual post. Every year I enjoy sending out original holiday cards and other “stuff” I make and gift from river junk. This year in addition to the cards (which featured the Christmas Bird of previous post fame), I created more of my “Ice Blossom Ornaments”. Friends who were the recipients of these “river treasures” assured me they were blog worthy. We shall see about that.
To make an “Ice Blossom Ornament” you need a bit more than broken glass found at the river or beach…you also need a body or form to attach the shards to. In this case, I like using the Styrofoam fishing floats I find and ironically polystyrene balls that are the remains of former Christmas tree ornaments that have washed into the park. I have seen a few of these original ornaments in various states of decomposition and they are usually covered with a shiny fabric that is glued to the ball. I prefer the balls that have lost their covering. When placement of the glass pieces has been decided, you cut into the ball form using a sharp Exacto knife. The hole I create is traced around the glass shape that I will embed into the ball A drop of glue holds the glass in place. I love using this river-collected glass because all the sharp edges have been worn away and I like the “frosted” surface created from abrasion with the sand and water. The same natural processes that tumble the Styrofoam and coal I use, also works its magic on glass. Even with something as trifling as these ornaments, I like that nature had a “collaborative role” in their making. The ornaments are finished off with the addition of found wire or waste fishing line and the occasional found piece of hardware. Here are some finished examples.
The next two pieces are a little larger and utilize bigger glass fragments. Some of these larger ornaments reference seed pods and marine forms like urchins.
This year I added polished coal to the list of materials used. Coal is after all, stored energy from the sun and suits the “star” image. Also, at the heart of every living star is a potential black hole and this ornament has that going for it as well.
The original ideas behind the “Ice Blossoms” comes from the 2009/10 holiday season. It was an important element in a story I wrote about the very rare migration of the Arctic Hummingbird (Styrotrochildae polystyrenus). When the conditions are just right, the very unusual Arctic Hummingbird times its appearance with the emergence of the Ice Blossom flower. The hummers seek out the concentrated energy found in the Ice Blossom’s nectar. I just happened to be lucky enough to be at the Falls of the Ohio when the Ice Blossoms were in bloom. Here’s an image I captured showing the relationship between the bird and flower.
Later I created another series of ornaments that I used to decorate the trees and vines at the Falls of the Ohio State Park. Some of these images were later incorporated into my Christmas cards.
I liked the idea of ornaments in nature and still feel some of the trees in the park are just as worthy of decoration as the trees we set up for the holidays. Regardless, the next time you find yourself around beach glass and Styrofoam…here’s an idea you can try to reuse both materials. Happy New Year everybody…see you in 2015.
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 
These are all kinds of wonderful. Nice last blog post for 2014. Cheers.
Thanks and Happy New Year to you and your family. See you in 2015!
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! They’re quite beautiful. You’ve inspired me…next year at Christmas time, I’ll endeavour to be less cynical and grinch-like and try to come up with something as wonderful as these for gifts. Thanks Al.
Thanks Julie…I have confidence in you. Happy 2015 to us all!!
Hi Al, I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of taking my blog down because I find it is distracting me. I really need to focus on my art (creating it rather than thinking/writing about it). I wanted to let you know as a courtesy because you have been so generous in your engagement with it, and your encouragement. I am a bit over the old art that I show on the site, and really want to leave it me behind now. I have a body of new work, which I think is miles ahead of the old stuff, but I’m not ready to show it to the world yet. I will, of course, continue to follow your blog with great interest (and delight). Hopefully I will re-emerge later as a more developed artist, having left behind all the agonising about art and its purpose (mind you, I think it is a conversation that more artists need to have with themselves.) I look forward to reading your next post and meeting some more of your river characters.
Just reading some of your latest posts…I wondered where you were heading? I can understand how maintaining a blog can be a destraction. I think I’ve held on to mine as long as I have by thinking of it as a creative medium in its own right which keeps me interested. I have enjoyed meeting you through our mutual belief in the power of art. Best of luck in developing your voice. I’m rooting for you! Please stop by every once in a while and let me know how it’s going.
Where was I heading indeed? Dog chasing tail? Your blog is absolutely intrinsic to your work, whereas mine…? It has been good therapy though, and helped me work out a few fundamentals. Of course I will keep popping in for a virtual cup of tea and a “chin wag” in your amazing river studio. Thanks again Al.
I love the ice blossom ornaments, just simply wonderful! A very Happy New Year to you, Al, filled with lots of river walks, wonderful creations and beautiful birds, including encounters with species like the Arctic Hummingbirds. Thanks for all the beauty you bring to the blog world!
Thanks so much Annerose…that makes me feel really good! I hope you have a tremendous 2015. Happy New Year!!
🙂
Totally awesome, Al! You really never do cease to amaze me- cliche as that is- it’s true. :0)
Thanks B.! 2015 is already shaping up to be a year full of potential. Best of luck to all of us.
Wow I totally love the frosted glass look of these 🙂 Wishing you a great 2015, Al!
Thanks Isaac…looking forward to seeing more of your ceramic work in 2015!
I like not only the ornaments, but also the term-Ice Blossom”.
Al, I have a favor to ask of you. Do you have a small plastic toy horse retrieved as Flotsam within your collection? If so, would you be willing to take a close up digital photo of it, send the photo to me, and allow me to use it with a publication (local paper and my blog) of a short story I have written about plastic litter Flotsam?
Thanks Bernie…I think the Ice Blossom title suits them well too. I just sent five images to you of found plastic horses via my gmail address. All of them were shot on location and maybe one of them will fill the bill? If you need a better detail…I may have others you can use. Best to you in 2015! Al
The juxtaposition of the beautiful and delicate nature of these ice blossom creations against the environmentally challenging nature of the styrofoam is really mind blowing.
Thanks Cat, the ice blossom idea turned out well and are fun to make too.