Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘creativity’ Category

Mr. Easter Island Man’s Day at the Falls

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on May 16, 2010| 2 Comments »

Wow, what an incredible day yesterday was!  The weather was just perfect and I had the park to myself and I took full advantage of it.  The river is still a little higher than usual, but not as high as when Julia and I visited here last trip.  I made four Styrofoam figures and took a ton of pictures that I will show you over the course of the week.  Let’s start by me introducing Mr. Easter Island Man who has graciously agreed to share his day with us.  He was in town taking a break from being a tourist attraction and was himself on vacation in the river city.  Here’s something to help set the context.

Two recent events have shaped the environment at the park.  The first is all the rain we had that led to flooding and depositing massive amounts of driftwood and junk at the Falls.  The other is that Spring has more than taken a hold and you can feel Summer coming around the corner.  Everything is green, growing, and starting to feel jungle-like in places.

Skirting the driftwood mounds, I moved down to the river by the willow habitat.   Wisps of willow fuzz gently wafted on the air currents and small drifts were forming in the nooks and crannies of the driftwood.  Butterflies were on the wing. The trees were home to several warbler species and I was challenged to create a few good photos of them.  Punctuating the landscape were the occasional blue plastic barrels.  It seemed  a particularly strong color note in amongst the natural organic hues and tones.

We also see barrels and drums that are all white or all black every once in a while.  Ran into a guy not too long a go that collected a few of these plastic drums and he said he was going to make a raft from them.  I wonder if he was successful?  Hopefully, he didn’t try to take a float trip with the river as high as it was.  It’s dangerous to get caught in the wake from a massive coal barge cruising down river in a craft you can’t manuever very well.

Every wonder what those Easter Island sculptures look like below their giant heads?  Buried beneath the sand is an equally blocky body.  We walked around some more to see what had changed since our last visit?

 

Near the dam, you could find examples of how high the river got this time around.  Mr. Easter Island Man came across this staircase that became lodged in a willow.  In surrounding trees, plastic trash bags, and loose tree limbs were stranded in other branches.  The mud in this area was very soft and it was easy to sink down to your ankles in it.  You needed to plot your course in advance and take advantage of walking on the tops of the beached  logs.  This way, you also left fewer tracks behind.

Small waves were still slapping the shoreline and fresh junk was arriving by the second.  In a few days, the Ohio River will go down some more and another layer will have been deposited.  Mr. Easter Island Man was collecting beat-up fishing lures and bobbers.  He spotted a blue plastic crate in the surf zone, but when he checked it out, it was already broken. 

Not to far ahead, something else colorful had caught his eye.  It was a yellow and blue foam glider that rode in on the waves and was now drying out with the driftwood.  Something like this is too cool to just leave lying around and Mr. Easter Island Man collected it and made it his own.

Examining the soft airplane, it appeared to be undamaged.  Lifting the toy he cocked his arm and said before he threw it…now let’s see what this baby can do!  More from the Falls later this week including a rare sighting of the enigmatic riverine predator…the Feralocitor.

Read Full Post »

Bottled Notes on Earth Day

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, watershed, tagged , , , , on May 10, 2010| 3 Comments »

Continuing a streak of good luck, I was able to catch up with video artist Julia Oldham and show her a little of my stretch of the river.  I first became acquainted with Julia’s work through Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest’s Connect event from last summer.  Several of her videos were being projected outdoors and I was frozen in my tracks by them.  I later learned she would become an artist in residence at Bernheim during the months of April and May of this year. We “cyber-met”  through each other’s blogs, leaving occasional post comments back and forth.  With considerable interest,  I anticipated meeting her in person for the first time.  Julia was kind enough to give me a sneak peek of the work she is creating at Bernheim and will formally “unveil” at the arboretum later this month.  Her newest works are as she is…smart, funny, and engaging.  I looked forward to sharing a river adventure together.

We arrived at the Falls in time to celebrate Earth Day…sort of.  It was two weeks late, windy, cool, and the muddy-colored Ohio River was still very high but receding.  The park was full of cars and people participating in the festivities.  Evidence of the high water was all along the shoreline and to be truthful, I felt dismayed by the sheer amount of crap present.  Happy Earth Day everybody…let’s celebrate this liquid landfill we call a river!

Pretty much all the spots I like to inhabit were still underwater or inaccessible and muddy.  I wondered how much of a bad impression this was making on Julia?  Quietly, it affected my mood and I tried to distract myself by making a quick sculpture from this junk.  But it fell apart and I didn’t manage to even get a picture of it!  The sight of so much river born garbage was repellent and I felt like a rubber-necker at the scene of an accident.  This is also part of the fascination that I have with this place, but rarely have I seen it this bad.  Where we could, we touched base with the river.  In places, there were immense logs and washed away trees driven against the bank.  Who knows what I will find once the river returns to a more normal pool?  Definitely, there won’t be a shortage of art making materials…maybe for years.

We visited the Interpretive Center and Julia was able to see some of the displays.  I have wanted the chance to photograph the large replica of the Permian Age amphibian among the ginkgo leaves and here it is.  I got down on my belly to get eye to eye with it!  From this angle it looks like a big frog, but it is a four-legged giant salamander-like critter and lived in the swamps that millions of years later became coal deposits.  It was maybe 3 1/2 feet long in life.  I wondered if it had a long tongue?

Several birds of prey were on hand as part of a raptors rehab program in our area.  We talked birds and I photographed this really pretty male American Kestrel.  I see wild and free kestrels in the park all the time.  This small falcon is our most colorful bird of prey.  I once observed a kestrel catching a Killdeer plover on the fossil beds.  The hunt was over in seconds.

Julia and I hiked around the park where we could and then we returned to my vehicle.  I had brought with me four clean, glass pint bottles I had found earlier at the Falls as well as materials to write notes or make drawings.  After sharing a Blue Dog peanut butter cookie and a couple of pears…we set to work.

I’m frequently asked if I have ever found a note in a bottle and I have to disappoint by saying no.  The ones I would make along with Julia are in fact the first notes I have ever put into bottles.  I have, however, been interested in doing this for some time and this seemed as good a moment as any.  The notes are written with permanent ink on Tyvek and paper.

I have no idea what Julia wrote in her notes and she doesn’t know what I put in mine.  We did, however, include some contact information just in case by some stroke of luck someone should find one of these bottles.  I hope that someone does.  It would be cool to see where it went!  I placed small fishing bobbers in each bottle to give it some more visual “pick me up” appeal and then Julia and I took photographs of them in front of the skyline of Louisville.  Since the river at the Falls wasn’t conducive for launching our bottles…we drove to nearby New Albany, Indiana.  In August, Julia will be having a solo show at the Carnegie Art and History Center and I thought Julia would like to see the space.  After a few beers at the New Albanian it was time to launch our bottled notes.  We went down to New Albany’s expansive waterfront and while Julia videotaped, I threw the bottles as far as I could and they landed with a splash to begin their journeys to destinations unknown.  The setting sun reflected on the glass of the floating bottles and I lost sight of them as they drifted towards the center of the Ohio River and points west.

The day went by so quickly and then it was time to go home.  We talked about our very different experiences in the art world, but in the end, felt like we had much in common.  The following morning, I opened the local paper and was surprised to discover an article about Julia in the art section.  It was a nice way to continue our first meeting.  If you are interested in seeing Julia’s work, her blog ” Bee Sting Brose” is on my blogroll.  A click there will take you to several links featuring her videos and articles written about her and her art.

Read Full Post »

Museum Show

Posted in animals, Art, collections, creativity, environmental art, fresh water, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, unusual collection, watershed, tagged , , , , on May 7, 2010| 6 Comments »

On May 6, the Oldham County History Center had a members’ opening for their Oldham County:  Life at the River’s Edge exhibit…which was actually several exhibits in one.  My sculptures played a part in the overall display and were integrated among the other exhibits.  I really liked the idea that my work (which included objects and images) would find a home among other examples of our material heritage.  Here are a few images from the event.  Once I got home and looked at the pictures, I realized I didn’t have any with people in them!  Yes, there were indeed people present and I enjoyed meeting and talking to them all!  Thanks for the beer and bar-be-que too!

Nancy Stearns Theiss, the center’s director, lives on by the Ohio River and so she recognizes the materials I use and where they come from.  She gathered up her own debris and put it in context with my work.  Nancy has a strong background in environmental education and recognizes what my project is attempting to do in a way that I must say gets overlooked in the usual art gallery context.

This was also the first time I have been able to show my Falls images, sculptures, and collected objects in the same exhibit.  I have always imagined that this would create the most interesting display.  The photo above is an example of this and includes my “Fake Food Collection” that I have gathered on the riverbank over the years.

Become a Trash Artist!  I guess there’s no denying that I’m one.  As an activity, materials were on hand if anyone felt the urge to make something that was encouraged.  My “3M Wasp” is hanging from the ceiling with fishing line.  This piece gets its name from the protective mask I found that looks to me just like an insect’s face.  Later during the summer, I will participate in a workshop making art from found materials.

Also on display was a Living Stream Touch Table, essentially an aquarium with native creatures that one might encounter in the local fresh water environment.  Among the animals in the tank include several species of native fishes, crayfish, frogs, and a small water snake.

The exhibit will be up until August and I look forward to returning and participating with the center again.  This final image is located on the center’s grounds and right next to an example of a root cellar.

Read Full Post »

Derby Day at the Falls

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , , on May 3, 2010| 3 Comments »

The Kentucky Derby happened 24 hours a go, but the bigger regional story was all the rain we received.  I’ve said this before in this blog, the gentle spring rains of yesteryear seem like a thing from the past.  Now every storm is charged with energy and abundant water.  In the Louisville area totals for the last two days are 5 to 7 inches ( 12 to 17.75 cms).  In Nashville, TN there is wide spread flooding.  There was one period of a few hours on Saturday that things were just misty.  That was as good as our luck ran this weekend.  I took that opportunity to get my river fix and it was good for my peace of mind!

Since I fully expected the rain to just pound me at any moment, I kept my eyes open as I moved along the river.  I had the place nearly to myself which helped make the Falls seem larger.  The willow trees were in bloom and there were even a few nice birds around.  I quickly made a figure from available Styrofoam and sticks and I will now turn the narrative over to him.

Yeah…we moved as fast as my beaver-chewed willow legs would carry me over the wet and packed sand.  We checked out the various debris fields near the river and took pictures of the things that caught our attention.  We came across a lost arm lying next to a plastic bottle and I wondered who would lose an arm and not miss it?  I picked it up and examined it.

It’s a perfectly good arm, but I don’t want to carry it around and so I left it where it was found.  If I find out later that I have a need for it…I think I can remember where this spot is provided the river doesn’t rise and rearrange things again.  Certainly looks a lot greener now than the last time I dropped by.

Of late, I’ve taken an interest in the remains of old fires and camp sites.  It’s a test of observation and I like to learn what I can from the charcoal and ashes, but this one has been hit hard by the rain and we learn little.

A colorful, but ruined soccer ball lay before us. The leading edge of the river usually has a few balls of one kind or another in the mix.  We stopped for a few snapshots than went our merry way.  There were more things we could see laying on the sand a head of us that looked worth checking out.

I traded the blue ring around my neck for a larger one I could wear around my waist.  It could be used as a flotation device if necessary!  Walking the shoreline we came across this vignette…a still life of tulips.  It’s a partially buried plastic watering can and the river has revealed this picture for us!

Oh man!  We found that awful jar of baloney again.  Even the river doesn’t want this thing and keeps casting it back upon the shore.  The thought crosses my mind that this might make good catfish bait if I could stomach running a hook through this mystery meat.  I wonder if that giant bug-thing is around?

Like I mentioned earlier…we saw a few birds too!  Some of our warmer weather birds have returned.  I thought we had some better pictures, but I guess there was just too much water in the air.  We did come across a pair of Canada Geese with three goslings doing the same thing we were…namely investigating the riverbank.  Their young are very cute!

And, we saw three of our favorite bird species!  The Yellow Warblers have returned and we tried like crazy to get a decent shot of this bird singing away, but the images were kind of gray.  Also saw a Spotted Sandpiper (but missing its spots) heading north.  We will see those spots upon its return migration from near the Arctic circle.  Indigo Buntings seem plentiful and we were fortunate to watch Baltimore Orioles chasing one another through the trees.  Here’s a picture of a male oriole who was watching a female among the branches and not intent on us. 

With hope, the Scarlet Tanagers and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks will be passing through soon.  I decided to hang out longer while that artist-guy went home.  I’ll be right here, unless someone else finds me first.

Well, that’s how our Derby Day went.  The rain stayed away long enough for the race to be run and by all reports the festival was an overall success.  I’m glad people had a good time, but I’m getting a little event weary and feeling the need to be more contemplative…and dry!

Read Full Post »

Didactic Kiddie Plastic

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, collections, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, recycled art, unusual collection, watershed, tagged , , , , , on April 29, 2010| 2 Comments »

I am always photographing the junk I find at the Falls of the Ohio.  Looking through my newer images I was amazed by all the toys I have come across recently.  Now these are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  All time, this would be an immense category on its own.  When I’m doing my usual posts, I’ll throw in an odd find if I think it contributes to the story.  Otherwise, this stuff just gets buried in my computer.  Maybe when I’m an old man, I’ll come back and revisit this stuff.  By then, a lot of this junk will appear dated and nostalgic.  I’ll probably look that way too!

All the stuff I’m about to present is made of plastic, which is made from resins derived mostly from crude oil.  I remember seeing a picture of a middle class American home with all its plastic contents arranged in the front yard.  It looked like just about everything this house contained was made from plastic and it was shocking!

I have been following the news lately about that oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and it has me feeling very anxious.  I don’t know why more people aren’t getting freaked out about this?  Essentially, you have a hole drilled deep into the ocean’s floor that’s hemorrhaging oil and the attempts to plug this hole haven’t worked.  The slick is already hundreds of miles long and will soon come into contact with the Gulf Coast’s rich estuaries.  A couple of years a go, my family vacationed in Gulf Shores, Alabama and it was fun and beautiful.  I don’t want to imagine those white beaches fouled with oil.

I debate with myself about whether something like this event can be considered a “natural disaster”?  Granted it probably doesn’t fit the usual definition, however, haven’t we (as a species of animal) that originated here make us “natural” as well?  Isn’t a big part of the problem that we have successfully convinced ourselves that we are on some other plane and that life’s rules don’t apply to us?  Aren’t all man-made disasters in effect natural disasters?

Often it seems more convenient to bury our heads in the sand and pretend events like this oil spill have no long-term effects.  Where is the outrage and our will to do the right thing?

Life is interconnected to life and it is ridiculous to think our mistakes don’t affect other organisms that have a right to exist in their own right.

Everywhere life is under pressure from the global scale of our activities.

The sad truth is unless we find ways to reconnect and revere nature…we will eventually will be  hammered by it.  One thing I see over and over at the Falls is that life is indifferent and doesn’t play favorites.  Will we be the architects of our own undoing?

If crude oil is a disappearing resource, doesn’t it make sense to use it for things that really matter?  Do we truly need to lock so much of it up in uses that are this disposable and forgettable?

Often it seems to me that we are in a big rush to go nowhere as fast as we can.  Why the big hurry?  Life is short enough and consuming everything we come into contact with isn’t going to make the experience more meaningful.  It’s past time to slow down and rearrange our priorities.

Read Full Post »

Genus Polystyrenus

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 23, 2010| 9 Comments »

Dodging snakes and collecting washed up cigarette lighters with my friend Jeff was not the only action we had on this excursion to the Falls of the Ohio.  By now, I should not be surprised by what turns up at this remarkable location…because it happens with such regularity.  For me, the thrill of discovery has become addictive and interwoven into my creative process.  Recalling events, I believe it was my friend Jeff who stumbled upon this revolting artifact and so I will begin this story here.

It’s a very large jar of bologna.  The contents have more than settled, in fact they have decayed to the point of becoming cream of bologna.  I know, this is completely disgusting, but bear with me for the real point of the story follows this discovery.  It was a short distance from this jar that we encountered another remarkable member of the Genus Polystyrenus.

Hidden just out of sight among the debris line was this very large and aggressive looking insect.  I estimate that this impressive creature was about two feet long.  It would be an under estimation to say that both Jeff and I were taken aback (how we both avoided voiding our bladders upon our persons, I will never know).  After what seemed a very long length of time, the amateur naturalist in me took over and I began taking photographs and making observations.  Here’s a detail of its head and impressive jaws.  It’s small antennae were wiggling back and forth.

Looking at the mandibles, I’m guessing that this creature had adapted to eating meat or carrion, both of which are found at the Falls.  It emitted a sickly sweet odor.  I think our large bug friend had discovered the bologna jar before we did and we may have interrupted its meal?  Because this ant-wasp, (seems to have characteristics of both) did not defend its bologna bode well for Jeff and I.  In fact, we did learn that despite its fearsome appearance our bug friend was retiring and unaggressive.  I decided to tag along and learn what I could about this amazing one of a kind animal.

From a short distance away, I was able to observe some behaviors that I recorded with my camera.  I believe that my assumption about it’s being a scavenger is on target.  I watched our insect “friend” actively investigating an old bone it had come across.  The bone was rolled around in its jaws as though our bug was tasting it?  Finding no meat, it simply dropped the bone.  I also noted that this creature has vestigial wings that have atrophied to a yellow flap found attached to the rear of its thorax and ironically has the appearance of a fly swatter.  Perhaps its large size makes flight an impossibility and the wings have shrunk to the present size?

Near the tree line, and keeping a respectful distance away, I observed Polystyrenus investigating a large plastic pipe mostly buried in the sand.  It did attempt to dig away the sand blocking the entrance to the pipe, but soon abandoned this effort.  I don’t want to assume too much, but I was intuiting at the time that it was looking for a burrow in which to hide, etc…  I did make a discreet effort to determine its gender, but was unsuccessful.  Here’s my last picture of it.

Amazingly, our bug was making short work from what was once a large barge cable that was originally as thick as a stout man’s forearm.  It’s jaws easily shredded the nylon strands.  Why it was doing this…will require more research.  Shortly after this image was taken, the sound of loud, boorish people coming down the riverbank spooked our insect and it took off with surprising speed over the sandy surface of the Falls.  Perhaps it understood that Jeff and I posed no threat, but it couldn’t be certain of the strangers?  During the short amount of time I was studying this creature I also noted that it didn’t have claws to speak of and didn’t possess a stinger.  Perhaps I will encounter this insect or other large insect species again because this is not the only time I have come across similar giants.  Take a look at these specimens for which the genus Polystyrenus was originally named. 

This has been classified as Polystyrenus ichthyphagia, based in part on this remarkable photograph of it feeding on a non-native, dead fish.  I made this discovery several years a go…in fact, it is with some regret that I collected (euphemism for killed) this specimen and one other that turned out to be a male and female.  This was done of course in the name of science.  The one feeding on the fish is the female.  Note the flute-like ovipositor and vestigial wings which made a raspy sound.  The mouth parts on P. icthyphagia have adapted for sucking.  Why these large insects have appeared at the Falls is inconclusive.  But I believe this is evolution at work.  The more we change our environment, the more we affect not only ourselves but all the other creatures that call this place home.  It can’t help to release tons of fireworks chemicals into the atmosphere and what we do with the water in general is a crime.  I will leave my soap box for the moment.  I suppose the reason that these giant insects have evaded previous detection is that they so strongly imitate garbage and detritus that they can elude most people’s notice.  Here’s a photograph of the dried and preserved male and female P. ichthyphagia with its egg case.  There is some sexual dimorphism with the male being considerably smaller than the female.  These specimens are in separate collections now.  The name Polystyrenus was chosen because the exoskeletons of these amazing insects so strongly resembles polystyrene, also generically known as Styrofoam.  The largest bug here is over three feet long.

As a kid, I fell in love with one particular story that appeared in an old Natural Geographic entitled “Giant Insects of the Amazon”.  Its author, Paul Zahl must have had the best job in the world to be able to travel to exotic places to study rare and unusual animals.  I suppose, I’m doing something similar, but I’m not traveling far from home and making my own giants.  Here’s the last picture of how I began the latest Polystyrenus receiving inspiration from the materials I find on location.  Although I didn’t use all the stuff here…it provided a template of sorts. 

I dedicate this post to Julia Oldham, bug lover and current artist in residence at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in nearby Clermont, Kentucky.

Read Full Post »

Jefferson’s Day

Posted in Absurd, animals, Art, art and environment, collections, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, unusual collection, tagged , , , , on April 22, 2010| 2 Comments »

With Thunder over, my good friend Jeff accompanied me to the Falls the very next day.  He was on a mission to find wood for a home improvement project and the Falls has plenty of that.  On our way down to the river we passed a fisherman who warned us that there was a belligerent snake ahead of us that had tried to strike him!  Okay, we are forewarned, but not overly concerned.  Amazingly, we came across this snake.  It had not moved much since the morning was still cool and it was lying in the sun trying to get its metabolism going.  It’s a harmless Eastern Garter Snake and here are pictures of it.  This snake will try to bite, but it’s really very harmless.

This snake is often found near water, but can’t be classified as a water snake.  I did get a little closer and the snake did nothing.  Here’s a detail of its head.  This guy is about fifteen inches long.  I like its coppery-eyes.

Jeff and I had a good laugh over the fisherman’s over reaction!  At least to his credit, he didn’t try to kill this snake which happens far too much in this world.  Snakes do carry with them that element of surprise, but most of them are really beneficial.  Even if I had come across a poisonous species, I would just respect it and leave it alone.  I made another discovery and I guess I would have to classify this as a signed artwork?

It would have been easy to overlook this, but I turned my head in this direction and there it was.  Someone named “Hollie” took the time to sign and date this piece of wood near this old tire.  I felt this person was calling attention to the poetry in this space in a way similar to the work of Anne and Patrick Poirier.  It’s probably just me reading too much into the situation, but I did find this simple act compelling.

Jeff found the wood he was looking for and several potentially nice walking sticks too.  I found Styrofoam which I also used to make something, but will wait until next time to show you.  Jeff and I have been good friends since our undergraduate art school days at Murray State University.  Jeff is a talented artist in his own right and does drawing and ceramics.  He teaches art to middle school children.  During our hike at the Falls, Jeff was amazed by the number of cast off cigarette lighters he kept finding and started picking them up.  Here’s what he eventually did with them.

Jeff collected 23 lighters, but only lined up 20 for this photo.  He could have collected a sack full of these lighters if he wanted to.  Here’s the view from the other side showing my friend working on a walking stick.

After the pyrotechnics of the previous evening, this was as laid back and relaxing a day as could be.  We each left the Falls with as much river treasure as we wanted to carry.  I also had a camera full of images that I could use to post on this blog.  Eventually, the wind started to pick up and with the lighter piece in shambles, took that as our cue to go home.

On our way back to the parking lot, we passed by the wall that separates the Ohio River from this stretch of the Falls area.  With the City of Louisville in the background, I photographed these up rooted trees that were deposited here during the last high water incident.  They will stay there until the Ohio River decides to carry them away.

Read Full Post »

May 6 is the Day

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on April 17, 2010| 4 Comments »

Just heard from Nancy Theiss, Executive Director at the Oldham County History Center that the opening for my part of “Life at the River’s Edge” is scheduled for May 6, from 6 till 8 pm.  I’m looking forward to meeting new friends and folks who live by or are interested in the river.  I would be out at the Falls today, but we have a “small event” happening in the Louisville area that all but makes that impossible.

Every year we kick off two weeks of Kentucky Derby festivities with one of the largest fireworks shows in the world.  It’s called “Thunder Over Louisville” and it also includes an air show during the daylight hours.  Some years, crowds of over 600,000 people would line the riverbanks to get a good view.  The picture of so many people gathered in one place reminds me of images of seal rookeries or seabird colonies where innumerable individuals are jammed onto every available space on the beach.  You can imagine the automobile traffic especially when the event ends!  Today’s weather will be on the cool side, so we will see if that affects attendance.

The image starting this post is one of my favorite Falls sculptures that I have made and it will be on display at Oldham County.  I call it “Pelvis has an Heir”.  In the dim recesses of my mind, I think this piece has something to do with how life succeeds life in the guise of this imagined king who with luck will be followed in his footsteps by his tiny heir.  There are (or were) living elements to this sculpture.  The masks worn by these figures are animal hip bones found at the Falls.  In the case of the larger piece…I think it’s from a small deer.  The other tiny pelvis…I have no idea.  Both figures have coal elements which were created from the remains of ancient life.  And both sport Asiatic Clam shell ears which are the most common freshwater mussels I run into at the Falls and are also a non-native species.  The found wood parts (including the base) are of course from trees.  That brings us to the Styrofoam and plastic parts, but these are also created from petroleum by-products that are also distilled from ancient life.  The Styrofoam, polystyrene bodies and heads are just as I found them shaped and formed by the river.

There is also a sidebar to this work that came out of various readings and conversations with fellow artists and has to do with the notions of fame, permanence, and immortality.  I know artists who have chosen to work in particular materials because the objects and by extension the artist’s name will supposedly last forever.  I don’t derive much peace of mind knowing that a ceramic vessel I made could survive a nuclear bomb!  And how many bronzes were melted down to make cannon balls anyway? 

I’m going to hedge my bets and say that when I’m gone, I probably won’t care very much about anything especially what happens to my or other people’s art.  Does Praxiteles care that his “Hermes and Dionysos”  is missing an arm and coat of paint?  Athough I do take care in how I make things, if what I create has value and is ultimately worth preserving, than someone will find a way to conserve it if necessary.  Isn’t that something we are running into with much contemporary art on a regular basis now?  Aren’t many of the concerns about permanence more about ego than anything else?  Through these Falls projects, I have come to emphasize what happens in the living moment more than I used to.  I think this happens when you work out in nature.  I’ve read that the only form of immortality that matters in life is that little bit of genetic distinctiveness that was you that gets passed on to your children.

Since this post has fewer images than usual, I’ll end with another favorite Falls project.  I call this image, “The Sound of Running Water is Music to My Ears”  The figure is made from the usual junk I find by the river and photographed at the Falls of the Ohio State Park and will also be featured in the Oldham County exhibit.

Read Full Post »

“Life at the River’s Edge”, an exhibit

Posted in Absurd, Art, collections, creativity, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, unusual collection, tagged , , , , , on April 15, 2010| 4 Comments »

Last weekend I traveled the 32 minute drive from Louisville to LaGrange, Kentucky along I-71.  The drive runs parallel and upriver to the Ohio River.  I was delivering my artwork to the Oldham County Historical Society to be a part of a series of exhibits exploring “Life at the River’s Edge”.  The historical society’s Executive Director, Nancy Stearns Theiss, had seen my work on an earlier occasion and was kind enough to invite me to show in their museum.  Nancy and her family live along the river and so she was already familiar with the types of materials I use for my art.

LaGrange is a picturesque town especially during the spring when so many flowering trees are in bloom.  The Oldham County History Center (building with the green tin roof) and complete with root cellar, encompasses The Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum which has interactive exhibits and a collection of artifacts illustrating life in early Oldham County.  I usually can’t resist the charms of a small museum.  You just never know what you will discover in such a place!  After looking around, I became really excited to think about my work appearing in such a context!

I love the unusual juxtapositions and displays of historic items that share space with one another.  It’s a context filled with mixed up memories.  I have always found trying to make sense of the past to be a poignant endeavor.  I often think  about how people in the future might view the times we live in.  My sculptures are certainly mixed up creations and the materials I use have a benchmark quality to them that speaks directly to our moment. 

I liked the idea that my art would be under the same roof as displays of old tools, dolls, and even a fossilized mammoth vertebrae.  Despite the sign, I was given permission to pick this old bone up and I was surprised at how heavy it was.  You definitely would not want to drop this thing on your foot!

I’m always amazed by how a small town can produce a person who would go on to significantly influence the larger culture.  Oldham County’s example of this is the life and work of D.W. Griffith who is considered the creator of American film.  He was born in the county in 1875 and eventually passed away in Hollywood in 1948.  Years later, his body was exhumed and he was reburied back where he came from in Oldham County.

Reading one of the museum’s handouts, I learned that Griffith invented many different  film making techniques including the use of flashbacks, fade outs, moving cameras, and high-angle photography.  Of course, I have heard of D.W. Griffith, but I don’t think I have ever watched a complete film before.  At the museum, you have the chance to watch some of his short films.  I recorded this image of an actor in blackface going into a burning building to rescue a child.  You film buffs out there…do you recognize this scene and the film it comes from?  I missed the opening credits and there was more in the museum to see.

Already on view were the paintings and decorated furniture by Oldham County artist Breck Morgan.  He paints in an accomplished rustic style that emulates early American folk art.  His illustration is on the dust jacket “Oldham County:  Stories from the River’s Edge” which is a new history of the county written by Nancy Stearns Theiss.  Here are images of both the cover….

…and the book’s author with my “Cat Man” sculpture.

I brought eleven sculptures, six large digital prints, and my famous “Found Food Collection”.  I’m looking forward to seeing them arranged in the museum.  The show opens this week and will run until August 1.

Later I will give both a talk about my art and participate in a workshop making artworks from objects found along the river.  Sounds like fun and I can’t wait to return to see everything in place.  If you want to learn more about the Oldham County Historical Society, here is their website’s address:  www.oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org

Read Full Post »

The Redbud Bird

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , on April 13, 2010| 2 Comments »

After delivering some of my artworks to an exhibit in La Grange,  (more on that in a future post) I stopped by the Falls for a quick look-see.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I decided to take a quick walk along the Woodland Trail to see if any of the spring migratory birds were in the area.  I was amazed to see the sizes of some of the trees that washed into the park during the last high water.  From my vantage point, I could see several “nice” pieces of Styrofoam that were also stranded by the retreating river.  I made mental notes to myself to come back to those areas when I had more time.  Images of future sculptures came to mind.

People were taking advantage of the lovely spring day and were ever-present in the park.  I noticed many fishermen lining the banks although I can’t say that I observed anyone catching anything yet.  Walking along the Woodland Trail I did see several species of birds including a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker working a Sweet Gum tree.  To me, this woodpecker is a harbinger of spring.  Bird watching was a little frustrating today because there just were so many people everywhere that the birds were a bit jumpy.  Further down the trail I did see something new I hadn’t recorded before and it has the nickname of “the Redbud Bird” and I would later learn why.  At first appearance, it’s a bird that isn’t especially memorable.  It’s a bit clumsy looking and not a particularly good singer.

The Redbud Bird was working a section of the park bordered by a creek.  This area had many downed trees of significant size that this bird was exploring.  I observed it tilting its head from side to side as though it was carefully listening for something.  I found several more specimens of this species taking advantage of the ecological niches that the park has to offer.

Wherever I saw one of these birds…it would be turning its head from side to side and every once in a while would slowly flap its wings.  The day was a warm one and I wondered if this was a method the bird used to stay cool?

I followed one bird from the woods into the Interpretive Center’s parking lot.  This proved easy to do because this bird is also a fairly weak flyer compared to the other birds I had come across.  It would move ahead of me and seemingly waited for me to catch up.  I felt as though it was leading me someplace.  This bird did this several times until I finally understood how this species received its name.

I followed the bird to the front of the Interpretive Center where our bird began to display in a most gloriously blooming Redbud Tree.  This bird times its appearance in our area to the blossoming of this tree.  What this bird lacks in physical charisma it compensates for by immersing itself in the beauty of this tree within site of the river.  After watching it bounce from one blooming limb to another it flew off leaving me with this view.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »