Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘nature’ Category

Brass Eagle and Traces in the Sand

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, tagged , , , , on March 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The river is up and when it crests this weekend…it will be right under flood stage.  I’m fairly sure that this piece I call “Brass Eagle” (after the plastic sign on his head) is gone.  He was guarding my stash of Styrofoam in the Willow Habitat in the eastern section of the park.  This area of the Falls is usually the hardest hit by the rising waters, but when the river recedes…there will be riches in detritus, maybe.  The Ohio River has fooled me before.

In the angle formed by two large logs, I had stashed away materials for future art use.  I’m not averse to recycling my past projects.  As you can see, Brass Eagle is a bit of a head hunter.  Searching through the winter driftwood, I located a few noggins that formerly belonged to previous sculptures.  On rare occasions, I have even come across parts of works that I had made years a go.  Now, these foam chunks are either down river or scattered in different sections of the park where I might find them again.

At the moment, there are a number of friends and co-workers who have either recently had or are about to have babies and I drew this picture in the sand for them.  I like how this pregnant figure seems protected by the wood and the light on the water seems hopeful to me.  I did find an anonymous sand drawing that I thought was fun.  This squid reminds me of the sea monsters drawn on the old maps as a symbol of the unknown!

I recently came across the remains of a camp fire that caught my eye and camera.  Doing a little detective work, I’m guessing that this fire was started using some flammable substance as an accelerant.  If you look at the unburned edges of the wood, they are just so crisp and clean.  This fire amazingly stayed in place and didn’t burn all the wood available to it.

This weekend I will be visiting the Falls and seeing what’s new.  The park is always in a state of perpetual change which attracts me to it.  If the river is too high to work my familiar locations, then there is always birding!  For me, this signals the arrival of spring in the way that crocuses and daffodils do for gardeners.  I even have an individual bird that I look for!  For the last three years, what I believe is the same male, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has defended a particular Sweet Gum tree at the edge of the Interpretive Center’s parking lot.  I will be looking for him again.  For the moment, I have been enjoying the birds that stayed over the winter…like this Song Sparrow.

Read Full Post »

Father/Son Day at the Falls

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, tagged , , , on March 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

My son Adam surprised me the other day by wanting to accompany me to the Falls.  It turned out to be gorgeous and sunny and we shared this moment together.  In his mind, we each had a distinct role to play.  I was to be the “artist” and he would be the “explorer”.  In reality, those roles frequently overlapped and I think it’s fun and interesting when those distinctions blur anyway. 

We walked down to the water’s edge to see if anything cool had washed ashore.  Adam got sidetracked when he came up with the idea of writing his name in the sand.  He found a stick that felt good in his hands and set about the business of making his mark on the world.  Judging from how large the final result was, I’m guessing Adam has big ambitions for his life.  Or, as his father, it might just be me projecting my own hopes into gestural lines drawn in the sand.

We found an old motorcycle helmet which Adam immediately claimed.  He did, however, remove the Styrofoam lining and he gave that to me.  I once made a nice turtle using a similar foam lining from a discarded bicycle helmet and he remembered that.  Wearing old jeans (aptly named high waters), Adam allowed the river to wash over his feet and he was surprised by the still frigid water and the stickiness of the mud.

Here’s a picture of Adam the “Log Rider”!  The yellow handlebars are from some riding toy we found in the sand.  This is Adam’s favorite picture from this day and he wanted me to be sure to include this one.

Once we found a good place to rest and eat our chocolate chip cookies, I dumped the contents of this collecting bag onto the sand.  From a previous foray, I had pre-stashed some foam chunks near this spot.  While Adam played, I worked on a large figure to help us mark this day.  I had relocated an especially large piece of Styrofoam that I had previously used to make two other figures.  This would be the first time I have re-re-recycled something.  I asked Adam to take my picture while I worked, and here I am in action.  The wooden stairs I’m sitting on washed up here last year.

Who knew that this artist has such a big head!  The mouth on this one is a reflector from a bicycle wheel.  The nose is the horn from another bicycle I had found months earlier.  The eyes are large fishing floats.  The ears are made from found wood and that yellowish object on top is the plastic part of a lawn dart.  When Adam and I finished assembling the entire figure, I took his picture next to it so it can help you judge scale.  All in all, it was a wonderful day for father and son and we need to do this again soon.  Maybe next time, we can convince older brother to come along too?   Peace!

Read Full Post »

Spring Singers

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on March 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Since the river washed away my old studio site, I have started two fresh ones.  The studio situated by the roots of a fantastic cottonwood tree is in the park’s western section and is pictured above.  I will show you the second site in a future post.  My studios are very informal affairs and have more to do with stockpiling materials for future use.  Try as I might, I can’t carry this junk everywhere I go and so I need places to park it.  Of course, anybody is free to use whatever I place there and sometimes people take me up on it.  This western studio is where I made the figure with the gavel in my last post.

To reach the western studio is a longer walk from the Interpretive Center’s parking lot and receives fewer people.  That, however, doesn’t make it immune from the visits from the “Smashers”.  Years ago, that was the name my son Michael came up with for the kids that feel compelled to break every glass bottle they find in the park.  On more than one occasion, they also destroy my sculptures.  Such was the fate of the subject in my last post…the “Smashers” got’em.  That figure was so utterly destroyed that all I found were a few scraps of polystyrene and the toy hammer it was carrying.  I try not to dwell on it too much.  There’s always the next piece to make and the sun is shining today and spring is near and life is good.

The birds are feeling it and soon the migrants will be winging it this way from points deep south.  Today I was serenaded by Carolina Wrens and Northern Cardinals.  I saw my first Red-winged Blackbird of the new year and a Belted Kingfisher flew by my studio.  The trees are beginning to show the buds that will lead to blossoms and leaves.  A stray fly lands on my hand.  It has been a long winter and spring will be more than welcomed.

I quickly gathered enough sticks and Styrofoam to make three small figures.  I imagined that like the birds I had heard, these guys are also singing.  I moved them around a bit, but in the end, decided that I liked this one image the best.  I left them in the roots of another cottonwood tree and went home.  On the way back to my car, I came across a tangle of driftwood and found a child’s broken plastic chair mixed into the lot.  The brilliant red color caught my attention and I offer it as a parting gift to you.

Read Full Post »

Have Gavel, Will Travel

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , on March 5, 2010| 6 Comments »

I always keep a few images and ideas in the background in case I need something to post.  Since the upcoming weekend is looking like a spectacular one, I know I’ll be visiting the river.  Frequently, when I’m on site, I make more than one sculpture and this post is a case in point.  I made this figure the same day I did the “Lifeguard” piece.  The first image is of one of my collecting bags.  Believe or not, I found this flag-festooned bag out here on the river and it has come in handy.  Check out that beaver-chewed log and assorted chunks of river-polished polystyrene!

Although the figure is somewhat minimal, I like the overall image.  Those cottonwood trees really make a big difference.  I found the orange plastic toy gavel or hammer and this notion of an itinerant judge came to mind.  Perhaps he is coming to town to dish out his own brand of environmental justice?  Really, there was just so much junk along the riverbank on this day.

Here’s a detail of the figure.  This piece is composed of Styrofoam, plastic, wood, and rock.  When I was finished with him, I left him standing just where you see him in the photograph.  I’m always finding toys and I like the way they photograph in this riverine context.  Here’s part of a toy truck.

Frequently, when I see these images on my home computer…it’s easy for me to imagine that they are bigger than they really are.  I guess I never considered computers to be a form of magnifying glass, but they do seem to function in this way.  Here’s another shot I found compelling.  I like the way this object is being swallowed up by the sand.

Final image, I love the way the cottonwood trees and their arching trunks and roots present themselves along this stretch of the park.  The view through the hole is of Louisville’s skyline.  Can’t wait to see what I find next!

Read Full Post »

Ring-billed Gulls Mystery

Posted in art and environment, birding, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, tagged , , , , on February 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Walking through the willow habitat two days a go, I came upon a dead Ring-billed Gull laying belly down in the last of our snow.  It was missing its head and I thought some other animal had made off with it.  When I turned this bird over on its back, the head was detached and hidden under the body.  A single spot of blood on its belly was the only other sign of damage that I could see.  I assumed that a bird of prey had captured it and perhaps disturbed, had abandoned it before it could make it a meal.  I had never been as close to this type of gull and I admired its white feathers, red orbital ring, and the black banding on its bill that gives this bird its name.  I placed the head in proximity to the body, and took this final portrait.  Then I walked away.

That was last Saturday and I returned the next day to explore a different area of the park.  Spring is near and the endemic birds are starting to feel it.  I watched a pair of Downy Woodpeckers courting and the Cardinals, Song Sparrows, and Carolina Wrens were all singing.  I can’t wait for the migratory birds to start passing through!  As I was walking along, I came across yet another dead Ring-billed Gull and thought how odd I should see another one of these so soon after seeing the first.  At least with this one, I could see that something had been eating it.  I took its picture too and left it.

About a hundred yards away and near the concrete staircase that leads up to the Interpretive Center, I found a third dead gull!  I carefully examined this bird, but could find no signs of damage.  This bird was so fresh that death had yet to stiffen it.  I saw no evidence that a bird of prey had captured it.  I guessed that perhaps one of the few Peregrine Falcons that live near here might be a good candidate for our gull killer, but now I’m not as sure.  The bit of damage I found with the other two, may have resulted from some ground dwelling animal finding an opportunistic meal on the riverbank?  What happened to this third bird?  Was it sick, frozen, or had its internal clock reached its expiration date?  Here are images of this unfortunate, but still beautiful bird.

This was how I found it lying on the rip-rap.  I carefully lifted it up and spread its wings for a photograph.  I could see the diagnostic white spot among the black tip of each wing and the dusty yellow of its webbed feet.  The bit of red along the gape of its bill (which I first mistook for blood) is a sign that this bird was approaching breeding condition. 

Our Ring-billed Gulls arrive at the Falls of the Ohio in autumn and overwinter.  By the spring, they usually migrate back to the Great Lakes region where they are among the few gulls found in the interior of the country.  In the years I have been visiting here, I had never come across a dead one before and now I have seen three in two days!  Has anyone else out there recently observed something similar happening with this species?  I can’t end on such a sad note.  And so, I offer this last image of Ring-billed Gulls doing what they do best…flying.

Read Full Post »

From Cutter to Cheddar

Posted in Absurd, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , on February 14, 2010| 2 Comments »

It’s official, the winter doldrums have set in.  Like many parts of the country we are already above “normal” snowfall amounts and more is on the way.  Coming out to the Falls has become an endurance contest especially when the wind is blowing.  Looking through my past posts, I have become wistful for the sunshine and bird song.  Walking along the river’s edge, I found enough material for a new figure and this latest post.

He’s a bit of a stark fellow…just Styrofoam, sticks, coal, and plastic.  There is more material here, but the snow is covering it up.  Walking both the edges of the river and woods, an idea  in the form of discarded aerosol cans presents itself.  I will start with this first can.  It’s another reminder to me on how the environment in Kentuckiana has changed within my memory.

Although this is anecdotal, it seems to me and others who live here that mosquitos are more plentiful than ever.  In the early history of the settling of this area there were many more wetlands and Yellow Fever was a real threat to life.  Over time, the swamps were drained and the native mosquitos become more of a seasonal nuisance.  Now it seems we cycle through several different species of mosquitos during the peak months.  I’m not an expert on these flies, but I know we have small and large ones, mosquitos that have stripes on their legs and they all don’t appear at the same time.  As of a couple years ago, we also now have ones that transmit West Nile Fever.  Accidently introducing exotic species is upsetting the ecosystem and is a form of pollution as much as this found can of repellent.

Readers of this blog will notice how I have a penchant for including images of automotive tires of all kinds.  To me, they are symbolic of both our ingenuity and our willingness to overlook the consequences of said ingenuity.  Mosquitos love them because they need foul, standing water to breed.  Whether left standing up or lying down, the interior of a cast-off tire holds water perfectly.

I found these cans within a small area and set up my figure to bear witness.  Their contents once included a lubricant, an automotive cleanser, and spray starch.  I found another can further down the shoreline and wondered if we really need this product too? 

Call me old-fashioned, but I like my cheese in a more conventional way.  Despite the “REAL” assurance, can it be authentic cheddar cheese if it shoots out of a can?  That makes me want to scream!  Makes me wonder if it really is that much different from the mosquito repellent?  If I smeared myself with this stuff…would it keep mosquitos away?  Perhaps I can apply for a grant and run that experiment?  Looks like another case of said ingenuity!

Read Full Post »

Snow Tested, Squirrel Approved

Posted in Absurd, animals, Art, art and environment, collections, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on February 7, 2010| 1 Comment »

On a very chilly day and after a snow storm, I was able to visit the Falls and take stock of the happenings.  The snow came quickly and from an eastern direction.  You can see that from the trees where snow built up on one side leaving the opposite side clean.  As I had suspected, the rising river from the previous week had played havoc on my trusty studio site.  It took me awhile to recognize where that spot had been.  I will have to wait until after the snow leaves to determine if any of the materials I had stored there are still in the area.  As for the sculptures I had left to weather in place…

… they are still there, but disarticulated.  The rising water level with its floating logs and driftwood, knocked everything down, and carried parts of my work, back out into the river.  The image above is what remains of Pot Belly, a large work from several posts ago.  I found his head, but he was missing all of his features.  His partner, Lorraine, was near him, but had suffered the same fate.  Further down the park, I came across Penguin Boy (sans life-jacket and head) and what was left of the uncle figure.  By now, I am over any sense of loss.  I will miss coming to that particular spot under the willows, but I know I will make other make-shift studios and they too will wash away.  As for the large pieces of Styrofoam that are still around, I probably will recycle those into other sculptures provided they stay.  This time of year and early spring are usually when we get the high waters.  With all the snow that has fallen (even more is scheduled in a couple of days) the resulting melt water will overwhelm this part of the park again.  Perhaps it will flood several more times, who knows?  This is all just a part of the process.

Making things is the best antidote in a situation like this.  I might be temporarily rootless, but my need to make images from objects remains strong.  I tell myself that coming out here, especially on such an inhospitable day is a sure sign of dedication and commitment to my art.  Perhaps it is, but who really cares except me?  When you strip it down, it has more to do with my own needs than anything else.  I muse about this blog being a vicarious way for me to recall some of my work.  Anyway, laid out on a snowy log are the materials I found to make that day’s figure.  By this time, my finger tips are numb which makes handling small objects more difficult.  While I am fumbling away, this squirrel is watching me as I work and I’m having a regular conversation with it.  I ask how the winter is going and apologize for not bringing any food with me among other topics of mutual interest.

With the added distraction from the squirrel, here’s what I came up with on this day.  Finding the star wand was my big find along the riverbank and I incorporated it with the figure.  I’ll let that object add to any sense of a narrative that an observer might care to construct.  I was too cold to care about matters like that!

I left the figure near the Interpretive Center, but kept the wand.  Believe it or not, I have a collection going of found and mostly bubble wands and this adds some depth to that collection!  I should assemble that for a photograph and post it.  As I left the park, I did take one more image from the Indiana side of the Ohio River.  Past the railroad bridge, a portion of Louisville’s modest skyline can be seen.   Stay warm and dry everybody!

Read Full Post »

F and J, part two

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, collections, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , , on February 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

For me, the toughest part of the winter is getting through all the grayness.  Spring is a month and a half away.  Thanks a lot groundhog.  Family and work  obligations coupled with the crummy weather are keeping me closer to home than usual.

When I look at my Falls images from this winter, the park has an almost exhausted feel to it.  The river spent itself washing wood and our material culture upon this shoreline.  The large object my son named “The Plug from the Bottom of the River” has been around for months…but I love the sense of theatre it presents in this landscape! What is this thing really and what is it doing here?  Before it disappears in the next flood, I should stage some Styro-spectacle on it.

The parade of found river objects will never cease.  I tell myself that I should use this time to organize all the loose ends (objects and images) that an investigation of this scope produces.  Of late, I have had a few more inquiries about presenting aspects of this project in one form or another.  It all sounds good, but I know some things are presented more as trial balloons, but that’s also a part of the creative process.  It’s about stuff bumping into each other and seeing what connections are created.  The last time I was out to the river I stopped by and photographed some earlier works from last year.  For the most part, I think they hold up fairly well considering their construction as well as many of the parts used are ephemeral.

In a world where we all live speeded up lives, it is easy to forget that we also need a chance to be fallow.  That’s what winter is best for…incubating ideas and marshalling energy.  I may have to go down into my basement and take care of business there.  The physical evidence of this project is spilling out of bags and boxes.  I think I may be able to substitute my wish to go outside with rediscovering and reorganizing what I have already found.  There’s sure to be a few gems hidden among that driftwood.  Well, I’m telling myself that…until the sun shines again!

Read Full Post »

Flotsam and Jetsam, part one

Posted in Art, art and environment, collections, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, unusual collection, watershed, tagged , , , , , , on January 31, 2010| 4 Comments »

It snowed today, it’s cold, and the river is rising.  I’m imagining that my studio site is in danger of getting swamped.  In all the years I have done this project,  I have only once been present at the moment the river carried my work away.  It was wierd watching the water inch slowly but surly towards my feet.  I had a couple of Styrofoam figures that the river just gently lifted away.  It looks like I won’t be making it to the river this weekend and so I put together a few recent and related images to present to you.  It’s all just river stuff I came across at the Falls of the Ohio.  I especially like the image of the log set on its end.

Read Full Post »

Penguin Boy

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on January 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The big-nosed figure had a nephew, a child of the high river.  His name is Penguin Boy and he was assembled on the same day as his much taller kinsman.  Once you see the pictures, it might begin to make sense?  This story continues my last post.  With the Ohio River rising again, the creeping waters would eventually filter through the driftwood and lift my studio away.  It is bound to happen, does so most every winter before the change of the seasons.  I’m using the biggest pieces of Styrofoam I have collected from the river, before the water takes it all back again.  Here’s the second foam figure I made from river finds this day.  He’s considerably smaller and a little odd-looking.

For months, Penguin Boy existed as junk I found along the shoreline at the Falls of the Ohio.  I spontaneously assembled its elements and tried to create an image with it before the short winter light diffused into tomorrow.  The figure’s eyes and nose are three different fishing bobbers.  The ears are two plastic lids from snuff containers.  Penguin Boy’s mouth is a squished bottle-cap and the name came to me because of the shape of the body.  I don’t know what the yellow “T” is on top of the head, but it is hard plastic.  Here are a couple close-up views of the head.

That certain demented look comes from the eyes which are two different sizes.  I have always been fascinated by the fact our faces are not completely symmetrical.  I remember from art history how the northern renaissance painters had noticed this and used it in their early portraits.  I always thought this helped psychologically charge their likenesses and gave them personality.  I moved Penguin Boy around and added a deflated soccer ball which gave one arm more of a sense of purpose.

While I’m photographing this figure, the river is just pushing logs into the shallow water.  One of my feet is already wet and the knowledge that the other foot is dry is of little comfort!  I added this piece to the ensemble I have going back at my studio.  I changed Penguin Boy and took a few snapshots with his larger uncle, gathered my stuff and left.  I’ll show you images of this duo the next time around.  One last image before I go.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »