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My Foaming Brain

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , on May 30, 2009| 2 Comments »

My Foaming Brain, 5/09

May is just about history.  Despite a wet beginning, rallied to become a rose of a month.  I was outside as much as I could get away to make art and watch nature.  In retrospect, I did make quite a few objects and images that having this blog helped boost along.  My latest river figure I’ve entitled “My Foaming Brain” is as much a reflection of what’s going on inside my head as it is a document of what I’m finding at this place along the Ohio River.  I haven’t decided yet whether the foam is entering or leaving this figure’s head.  I’ll leave that open for you to decide.

tree on wier dam, 5/09

Remains of the “mini-flood” are evident all around.  Here’s a tree washed away from the riverbank just hanging on the wier dam in the eastern part of the park.  Once the river level drops, many logs and other debris become stranded on the top of the wall.  And, there they will stay until the next high water lifts them off.  Meanwhile, all manner of other river carried flotsam and jetsam is building up behind the wall like barbarians at the gate.

Cracking mud, 5/09

Don’t let the cracks deceive you…this mud is very much wet.  If you step on it… you will sink to your ankles!  My Falls shoes are now a complete ruin because of this mud’s sole-sucking quality.  I wear my most beat up clothing when I come out here and I’m sure that more than one visitor must have thought I was a homeless person living by the river.  I have come across signs in the mud where I can tell that a person’s feet were gripped so hard that they fell forward and left hand prints as well.

The Exhibit, 5/09

I believe this ties a record for me.  There are five figures sitting on informal exhibition in the park that haven’t been disturbed.  Usually, my pieces get discovered, taken or destroyed.  All of them have been featured in this month’s blog.  I did, however, keep the birds I made.  This weekend, there are several river sweeps and clean-ups going on ( some involving friends from the Living Lands and Rivers crew) and it should be interesting to see if these sculptures survive.  Will they be considered trash or treasure?  I think of what I do here as a form of “repackaging”…it goes along with those other “r-words”…reuse, recycle, rethink, rebuild, rebound, re-etc……..

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Styro-Storm Bird

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , on May 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Styro-Storm Bird, 5/09

Styro-Storm Bird, 5/09

In my attempts to photograph the illusion of a flying bird, I’ve resorted to some low-tech solutions.  I first tried suspending my polystyrene models using cast-off fishing line found all too commonly on the riverbank.  Fishermen, please take your waste monofilament with you!  But, this solution was too obvious in the pictures and the models did blow around in the wind.  Then I hit upon using long thin skewers whittled  from local wood.  In the above photos, you can’t see that the bird is pinned to the branch behind it.  I call this the Styro-Storm Bird because it was made during a rain storm.  Materials used include polystyrene foam, wood, coal eyes, and plastic for the collar and part of the bill which came from a fishing bobber.  I’ve made a few of these birds recently and saved them. 

During the time I was working, this Eastern Kingbird hung around my site.  It didn’t seem too afraid of me.  I’ve noticed that there are a couple pairs of them currently at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

Eastern Kingbird, 5/09

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Baby Sun with Rattle

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , on May 28, 2009| 3 Comments »

Baby Sun, 5/09

Today was one of those days where the objects I found really directed the figure I made.  I came across the broken passifier and baby rattle and wondered what our star would look like personified as an infant?  It is afterall almost summer.  I used pieces of bark to frame the head.  The eyes and nose are fishing bobbers and I’ve imbedded a yellow light into its body.  The bottoms of aluminum cans form the ears.

Silver-spotted Skipper, 5/09

Butterflies are starting to appear in greater numbers and diversity.  This is a Silver-spotted Skipper sunning itself.  Today I also saw Red Admirals and a Red-spotted Purple. 

Yellow Warbler, 5/09

I had one opportunity to photograph this Yellow Warbler and here is the result.  The restless nature of warblers makes them challenging subjects, but when you get a good image it makes your day.  About an hour later we had a pretty good thunder shower…I’m more concerned about keeping the camera dry than if I get wet.  I left the Sun figure behind and thought it was one of the stranger ones I have made recently.  I’ll close with a detail of this odd image.

Baby Sun with Rattle, 5/09

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Orange-collared Thickbill

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on May 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Orange-collared Thickbill, 5/09

The shoe/figure from the previous post wasn’t the only piece I made that day.  Here’s another in my Styro-bird series I call the “Orange-collared Thickbill”.  It  wouldn’t surprise me to learn that somewhere among the world’s 10,000 plus bird species is an actual bird called this!  All the elements came from this day’s walk.  The blue bill is the nose cone of a bottle rocket.  The eyes come from sycamore seeds.  I wanted to create another image with the willow fluff before the expected rains wash it away.

Orange-collared Thickbill and fluff, 5/09

I’m seeing fewer actual bird species now and feel we are settling into our summer time mode.  Cedar waxwings are still around…taking advantage of a bumper crop of mulberries.  The resident Eastern Kingbirds are back flycatching from their willow posts.  Orioles still flash through the treetops as they pursue their own kind relentlessly.  Closer to the ground, I came across a small flock of American Goldfinches.  Their bright yellow bodies, black wings, and orange bills add a color note to the muted tones of sand and gravel.  I remember seeing once, a small flock of about twenty goldfinches their numbers doubled by their reflections in the shallow water they were bathing in…now that was beautiful! 

male, American Goldfinches, 5/09

Last shot is of one of these amazing willow trees that survive being immersed and battered by the river’s currents.  It’s like walking through this habitat of giant bonsai trees. 

willow tree, 5/09

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Magic in the Air

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on May 25, 2009| 3 Comments »

hair brush and willow fluff, 5/09

Today was one of those unusual days were you couldn’t tell the color of the sky.  Neither blue nor gray it just seemed heavy with humidity.  Wafting on the air currents…fluff from willow catkins formed drifts against the landscape.  I have never seen so much out at one time.  I came across this brush in the fluff and thought it summed up the magic.  Are these seeds for the willow trees?

little guy pulling shoe, 5/09

Or, is it some kind of organic pixie dust?  Today was full of odd moments.  I was listening to the Belle of Louisville’s steam calliope…the music carries from its dock on the waterfront to the sands of the Falls.  When a particularly rousing rendition of the theme from “The Sting” finished, I then heard the Beatles “Can’t Buy Me Love” kick into gear.  Simultaneously with the Belle’s concert was a bit of strangeness Louisville calls “Abbey Road on the River”.  It’s a three day Beatles festival that also takes place on the waterfront and draws tribute bands from all over the world.  I wondered which Beatles group I was listening to…the one from Norway, Japan, or Germany?  Oh, and then there was this Little Guy pulling a shoe…

Little Guy pulling a Shoe, 5/09

He was struggling mightily and I give him credit for dragging  it as far as he did.  He also wasn’t much on conversation and I can only speculate what was so special about this particular shoe.  Perhaps, for whatever reason, it was just his size.

Shoe Rider, 5/09

After a bit, the Little Guy did something astounding!  He climbed into the shoe and started hopping which made the shoe cover the sand more efficiently.  Sort of sack-racing style if you know what I mean?  I soon lost sight of him…my mind swimming to the odd musical amalgam of Stephen Foster melodies meets John Lennon lyrics.  Anyway, I hope that shoe fellow didn’t hop to the river’s edge….the mud there is over your ankles.

Riverscape, 5/09

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Superimposements?

Posted in Art, art and environment, creativity, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, recycled art, unusual collection, tagged , , , on May 23, 2009| 2 Comments »

superimposed toy boat

Well, I think I just made up a new word…although I don’t believe the Oxford Dictionary will be calling me up any time soon.  I just couldn’t think of the right thing to call these three images that seemed to fit them.  The idea is simple enough.  I overlay a found object ( like these toys) and take a picture that includes a backdrop of  the landscape they were found in.  Maybe, some wordmeister out there can hit the nail on the head.  This was a late summer image from 2008.

toy boat superimposed, 5/09

Another toy boat on the water from a couple weeks ago.  Photographed with the tainter gates as a backdrop.

toy helicopter superimposed, 5/09

Found this broken toy helicopter and thought it looked good against the blue sky.  Isn’t this what kids do…hold toys up and imagine they are somewhere else and real?  I don’t recall if I was making engine noises too!

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Sculpture in the Dell

Posted in Art, art and environment, creativity, Falls of the Ohio, Green, nature, public art, recycled art, sculpture, tagged , , , , , on May 21, 2009| 2 Comments »

Falls of the Ohio Scarecrow, 5/09

Delivered my piece today for Yew Dell Gardens 2nd Annual “Sculpture in the Dell” invitational.  I was honored to be asked even though my work doesn’t fit the standard of what garden art generally looks like.  I asked if there was a garden on the grounds that could use a scarecrow and as it happens…a new kitchen garden was being installed.  I recycled an earlier spring project and turned it into this work the “Falls of the Ohio Scarecrow”.  I changed the arms and added a few new elements.  Should be fun to watch as this work grows with the garden over the next two months.  The show’s dates are May 30 – August 2, 2009.

Yew Dell's stone castle, 5/09

Yew Dell Gardens is in Crestwood, KY and originally was a private home, garden, and arboretum of the late nurseryman Theodore Klein.  The 33-acre garden has been restored and is now a not for profit organization.  There are many wonderful structures on the property and the best known is the Stone Castle, originally conceived as a pool house.  It’s a marvel of fieldstone construction.  You can learn more about Yew Dell by visiting their website:  www.yewdellgarden.org 

Don Lawler sculpture, Yew Dell, 5/09

Here’s a nice work by my friend Don Lawler on Yew Dells’  property.  This giant hand is carved from a block of limestone and commands the setting it is in.  This sculpture was a part of last year’s show.

Matt Weir, installing at Yew Dell, 5/09

Here’s sculptor Matt Weir installing his work for the show.  He is one of many friends participating in this outdoor exhibition.  I will post more from Yew Dell Gardens during the run of the invitational.

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1st Photos of Falls Brush Fowl!!

Posted in Art, art and environment, birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , on May 19, 2009| 2 Comments »

Falls Brush Fowl, 5/09

Ornithological history was made today as the first photographic images of the rare and elusive Falls Brush Fowl were made public.  Seldom seen and rarely heard this bird was photographed by the park’s unofficial artist in residence.  The Falls of the Ohio is the same area where the legendary John James Audubon began his drawings for his monumental undertaking, “The Birds of America”.  Audubon, however, never recorded seeing this bird.

Falls Brush Fowl, 5/09

The specimen appears to be a male in full courtship display.  This bird was not particularly wary as it strutted it’s stuff on several prominant logs and branches often in bright sunlight.  The Falls Brush Fowl is known for the fan it creates from its tail feathers, much in the manner of grouse.  Dancing gingerly it trills its song into the deep underbrush, while its head is framed by a ring of pink feathers.  The exact numbers of this bird are unknown.

Falls Brush Fowl, 5/09

No response was noted from the male Falls Brush Fowl’s display.  As reclusive as the males are…the females are even more difficult to approach.  Nothing is known abouts its nest, eggs, clutch size, incubation period and chicks have never been seen.  Speculation exists that the eggs may be deposited in a hole covered with rotting vegetation.  The heat generated from the decay of leaf matter incubates the eggs, but this has never been proven.  The bird is more myth than fact and the photos are welcomed by the scientific community and the general bird-loving public.

Chestnut-sided Warbler, 5/09

Other birds noted in the area this day include:  the Chestnut-sided Warbler seen in the above photo.  Small groups of mixed species  traveled and fed together among the willow and cottonwood trees.  It was not unusual to find Yellow Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, Carolina Chickadees, and Indigo Buntings harvesting small caterpillars. 

Time Keeper and Wishing Well, 5/09

Lastly, yesterday’s figure entitled the “Time Keeper” was spotted in an a different location.  A park visitor moved the piece inside a wood structure called the “Old Colonel’s Wishing Well”…a curiousity deposited by the last high water.  I’m sure there is a story surrounding that object and if anyone out there knows it…I would love to hear it!

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Godzilla and the Time Keeper

Posted in Art, art and environment, birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , on May 18, 2009| 3 Comments »

plug at the bottom of the river, 5/09

Sunday was absolutely glorious and the river level had dropped as quickly as it had risen.  My youngest son Adam came with me today and we shared an adventure in exploring and creating art.  After the river goes down, it’s always fun to see how the landscape has been changed and what new stuff has washed up.  Here’s an image of Adam and the “giant plug from the bottom of the river”.  The air was full of cottonwood fluff and birds were everywhere.  Saw two more new species for me, the Red-eyed Vireo and the Black-throated Green Warbler.  Both are supposedly common species, but you would be surprised at how little they show themselves.

Adam, sand drawing, 5/09

Adam is the artist in the family and has an amazing ability to focus on projects when he wants to.  Lately, he has been on an extended Godzilla, King  of the Monsters kick.  He collects the action figures and watches the movies and makes all kinds of art based on the characters and story lines.  Today he started things off with a sand drawing.

Adam and Godzilla figure, 5/09

He has seen me make stuff from Styrofoam for years and naturally he has to try his hand at it too.  We call these small sculptures “Foamies” and here is his Godzilla…now in three dimensions.  It’s made from polystyrene, sticks, and nuts.  I helped where the use of a knife was needed.  Adam’s older brother, Michael used to come out with me when he was younger and we would have similar adventures making things.  It’s important to bring your kids outdoors if you ever expect them to develop a love for it.

Time Keeper w/rope, 5/09

Adam wasn’t the only one enjoying himself!  I gathered materials and made this figure I called the “Time Keeper” based on the plastic clock filled with water hanging around his neck.  The riverbank is still muddy in places.  If you are not careful you can walk right out of your stuck in the mud shoes.  The first photos I took of this figure were by this barge rope.  I’m not sure what the blue material its body is composed of, but it’s not true polystyrene foam.  I was able to locate many of the larger pieces I had put away for safe keeping…the river did move them, but not far away.

Time Keeper, final location, 5/09

This is where I left the “Time Keeper”.  I wonder when I next return to the Falls if he will still be there?  His body was water-logged and he needs to dry out a bit.  He’s in the Willow Habitat by the fixed wier dam.  The coming week promises a few good days and we shall see!

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Kingsolver’s Crocodile

Posted in Art, art and environment, creativity, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio River, recycled art, Styrofoam, tagged , , , , on May 17, 2009| 2 Comments »

Kingsolver's Crocodile

I was going through my digital files and was reminded of this piece that I made for a show at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts.  The exhibition was entitled “Visions from Voices” which featured visual art inspired by Kentucky writers and musicians.  In other words, art inspired by other art.  I had just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver’s great novel, “The Poisonwood Bible” and the idea for this piece came to me.

Kingsolver's Crocodile, detail

Much of my Falls project, occurs on-site, however, I do remove a lot of rubbish and haul it home where I make things in my basement.  Once in awhile, I do find an object that is so complete by itself, that it requires the right moment to activate any additional meanings.  Such was the case with the Styrofoam piece that had the word “Bible” embossed onto it.  I came across this at the river years ago and wondered what I could do with this that would be interesting and do justice to it.  I can only guess what this was originally a part of…perhaps some funerary decoration or maybe it was the cover of some inexpensive, cloth covered book?  Anyway, I saved it hoping a good opportunity would present itself.

Kingsolver's Crocodile, topview

The Kingsolver novel came at the right time in more ways than one.  If you are unfamiliar with the story (and by all means..read this book) it is set in the former Belgian Congo in the early 1960’s on the cusp of  their independence.  An evangelical Christian family moves to a remote village and sets up a mission.  The minister-father of the family tries his best to “civilize”  the local people and of course all kinds of misunderstandings occur.  The minister can’t understand why he can’t get the people into the river for their full immersion baptism and the locals can’t understand why he is trying to kill them.  Afterall, the river is full of man-eating crocodiles!  It’s the classic clash of cultures.  Although Kingsolver’s novel pre-dates the current Iraq War, our campaign there always smacked to me as an example of “evangelical democracy”… just because we believe this is right doesn’t mean it will be accepted, especially if we don’t respect the traditions that are already in place.  This is one of the lessons in history that doesn’t seem to get learned.

Kingsolver's Crocodile, on exhibit

I don’t have many shots of this piece, but here is one while it was on exhibit.  It was purchased by a local artist/collector and now has a good home.  Roughly, the piece was about six feet long and made mostly of Styrofoam, plastic, and driftwood.  I did use a few reflectors, a couple of lathe-turned spindles, one of the eyes is rubber…the other is a buckeye.  All the material elements traveled down the Ohio River (a baptism of their own) and washed up at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

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