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 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.
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.
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.
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!
A beautiful spring day and a perfect time to sit by the river. The greening trees are alive with the fresh colors of migratory birds. Somewhere off in the distance is a sound or more accurately a vibration that piques your interest. Since the hearing is going you need something to focus the sound.
… diesel engines crossing over the bridge………. Alright, so it won’t win any literary prizes, but it was fun to do. The train picture is recent, but the figure is long gone…was it last year or the one before that? I think I need something to focus my memory too. This figure, as usual, is made from various found elements…polystyrene foam, driftwood, and plastic. The nose I remember was the handle of a broken paint brush. One of the eyes is a fishing bobber and the other…who knows? I thought the found bottle of sports drink added a nice color note. This piece was up for awhile, before it was carried away by a flood.
From a previous post…you know I’m into birds and since this is migration season, I’m at the Falls of the Ohio as often as I can get a few hours to get away. I do keep a list of what I see in this park based on their official checklist that includes 268 recorded species. I’m almost half way there! I suppose I would have to live at the park year round to not miss any opportunities as long as the birds were willing to cooperate. The birds, however, have their own time-honored agendas and I try to be present in their moments. This season is shaping up to be a late one and I haven’t seen nearly the number of species I saw last year, but there is still time. The last two days have brought some surprises which I was able to get a few snapshots to share with you. Here are two new species for me at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.
Working at the Falls of the Ohio is a reflective experience and thinking about the construct of “time” pops into my head a lot. To reinforce matters even more, less than a mile from my “studio” is this giant clock ticking away in a grand, but conventional manner. I once read that the largest clock face in the world was at another Colgate Palmolive plant in Jersey City, New Jersey, but it was demolished in 1988. Our clock, the one in Jeffersonville, IN, I believe is now the biggest. At night it glows red. The building was once a prison before the toothpaste factory relocated here. Recently, it was sold to another interest and we aren’t quite sure what’s going to happen with certainty, but it is everybody’s wish that the clock remain. From downtown Louisville, you can tell time by looking across the Ohio River. 
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 