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4 Images at Oldham County

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, tagged , , , , , on May 11, 2010| 5 Comments »

Just four quick photographs this time plucked from various adventures years ago.  These images are all featured in the exhibit I have at the Oldham County History Center and augment my display of sculptures and the fake food I’ve collected from the banks of the Ohio River.  When I make a figure from Styrofoam and other found materials…I’m actually more interested in the resulting photograph than I am the sculptural model itself.  It’s the context of where this stuff is made that I find important.  This piece was entitled “Moon Maid at Sun Set” and was as large as a person and eventually washed away by the river.

In most cases, the photographs are the only document I have that these things existed in the first place.  The sculptures have a way of eventually disappearing.  The image above records three different figures made at different times that have come together for just this shot.  The figure that has fallen over…I can recall the title I had for that one, it was…”My Hand Grenade of a Heart” and did feature a plastic hand grenade I found and embedded in this figure’s chest.  I guess it eventually exploded.

Ah…”Orange-Eyes” made during a blistering hot summer day on the exposed fossil beds at the Falls of the Ohio.  Funny how you remember certain things!  The eyes are foam fishing bobbers and the mouth was made from the outer hull of a walnut.  I recall liking how the root from the stump this figure is posed against created the sensation of an extra upturned arm.  All these images in this post were made during my analog days.  There’s nothing tricky about the photography.  Just snapshot photos taken to the drug store and printed on a 4″ x 6″  inch format.  The photos were an extension of the idea that this was something anybody could do that didn’t require great technical knowledge or mastery.  In the current exhibition, these drug store prints were scanned by a friend of mine, digitized and blown up to approximately 30″ x 40″ inches.  My friend was in the business of creating courtroom displays that were used as supporting evidence.  Seemed appropriate to what I was doing and I had a small grant through the Kentucky Arts Council to do this.

The “Dog Playing with a Ball” was originally accompanied by an old woman figure I made.  She was wearing a fancy hat made from a Styrofoam bait bucket I found.  Both the woman and her dog were playing near the banks of the river.  Eventually, my 35mm SLR camera gave up the ghost and I was thrust into the digital age.  The bulk of the Falls projects I have made are still from the analog world and in their own way document a transition that occurred with technology.  Of late, I have also become intrigued by the correspondence I think exists between a bead of polystyrene and a pixel.  The internet has become a substitute river where images become tumbled and changed as they bump along electronically from place to place.  You just never know where this stuff might surface on the web and what might happen to it in the interim.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Thunder by the Falls

Posted in Absurd, art and environment, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio River, public art, tagged , , , on April 20, 2010| 2 Comments »

The event was two days a go, but the after images keep flashing before my eyes.  The fireworks display, Thunder Over Louisville marks the official start of the Kentucky Derby Festival which climaxes with a two-minute horse race the first Saturday in May.  Year after year, this fireworks show is usually the largest in the country and has become a Louisville tradition.  I attended with my son Michael and our friends Jeff and his son, Holden.  If you are wondering what this has to do with the usual content of my blog…well it’s just across the river from where I make my art.  The bridge in the distance in the above image is the one that has appeared so many times before in my posts.  Louisville is where it is because of the Falls of the Ohio.  Following are a few of my  images from this event.

The newspapers reported that 700,000 people attended this year’s show.  The weather was clear, bright and sunny, but turned cool after sundown.  People begin choosing the best spots to view Thunder fairly early in the day.  If you arrive late, you may have to settle for a less than prime spot.  All the hotels and taller buildings facing the river are packed with viewers and many fund-raisers and corporate parties are occurring.  Looking for a place to park your car?  Spots within walking distance of the action were asking for and receiving $20 to $30 dollars a space.  We took the bus which was a lot cheaper!  Across the river in Indiana, the situation is the same.  People are jamming the riverbank and facing Louisville.  Their view takes in the city’s skyline.  Here are folks by the river and sitting under one of the world’s largest clocks.

For entertainment, there is always people watching.  It’s an international crowd and we also receive visitors from all over the United States.  The number of nonresident automobile license plates climbs dramatically.  There is lots of food, drink, and expensive colorful souvenirs all creating a festive atmosphere.

One of the big daylight attractions is an airshow.  The skies above Louisville’s riverfront becomes a showcase of mostly military aviation.  The noise some of the fighter jets can make is incredible. Vintage aircraft fly alongside their counterparts in the current inventory.  Here’s a view of one skydiver in the show…

…and one of the more amazing aircraft, the B-1 Lancer stealth bomber which made a few quick passes before flying back to its base in South Dakota.

Of considerably older vintage are the steamboats.  Louisville boasts the oldest boat still going in the country, The Belle of Louisville, but a sister vessel like the Belle of Cincinnati has made the trip downriver to take in the fireworks.  The bridge above the boat is the 2nd Street Bridge and is the one I usually take to the Falls.  During Thunder, the bridge is closed and becomes a feature in the fireworks show.

The fireworks are shot off of two barges anchored in the middle of the Ohio River with the 2nd Street Bridge between them.  Usually there is some loose theme that is choreographed by a medley of popular tunes.  Once the fireworks begin in earnest the noise is palpable.  The concussion of some of the more powerful rockets hits you right in the chest!  Here’s a picture with fireworks exploding off of the bridge and includes a “waterfall” of fire.

The show is the work of the Zambelli Family which has been involved with fireworks for several generations.  Each year there is usually something new…a special effect or color that hasn’t been seen here before.  Here’s something in a rainbow palette.

I have to say, that while I was there I didn’t pay any attention to all the digital devices people were using to capture the event.  It’s when I downloaded my pictures to my computer that I noticed them!

Thunder Over Louisville lasts about half an hour of continuous major fireworks.  There’s lots of smoke and afterward lots of debris from the huge crowd.  For about an hour or so, traffic away from the epicenter is very slow going.  It takes a couple of days for the city to put itself back in order.  I often wonder what the environmental effects of all this are, but the average Louisvillian has come to expect and enjoy this spectacle.  I went to the Falls the very next day and had a quieter adventure.  More on that later this week.

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“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

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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.

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The Interpretive Center’s Centerpiece

Posted in animals, collections, Falls of the Ohio, Ohio River, public art, unusual collection, tagged , , , on April 1, 2010| 3 Comments »

Since I will be away from my computer for a short while, I wanted to squeeze in one more post.  Recently, I went inside the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center and recorded these images of the display in their main hall.  The center is in the process of upgrading their exhibits, but I hope they choose to keep this centerpiece.  It is a three-dimensional collage of the history of life as it has presented itself at this location.  Here the ancient meets the contemporary, fact confronts legend, the terrestrial meets the aquatic, and fresh water mingles with the marine.

I have picked out a few details to present to you.  This display incorporates both traditional taxidermy and state of the art model making.  I love it because it retains this cabinet of curiosities feel to it and it has these unusual juxtapositions.  In the image above, a bison comes face to face with an ancient Devonian carnivorous fish!

And speaking of fish…here are a few representations of  fish that currently can be found in the Ohio River swimming along side this interpretation of an ancient shark.  Among the living species found here include the Paddlefish, Striped Bass, Walleye, and several large species of catfish.  The rocks in the park are loaded with marine fossils from the Devonian period (roughly 375 million years ago) which saw the first fish appear on life’s stage.  Interestingly, fish fossils are very rarely found here, but we have lots of evidence of different corals and brachiopods.

It’s the large view which includes this Mammoth skeleton replica that makes the biggest impression on visitors.  The center has done a good job of telling the story of the importance of the Falls of the Ohio and I look forward to seeing how their refreshed exhibits carry this mission forward. I’ll show you other display images later, but for now… see you next week.

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