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Archive for the ‘public art’ Category

Ohio River Neptune and Groundhog Head

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , , , on June 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »

River Neptune, 6/08

Recently, I started a new job and so my trips to the river are extra special.  I do, however, have  years of digital images to draw from and so these works can live again.  Many of these were originally seen by few if any people.  This is the Ohio River Neptune from this time last year.  He’s holding what’s left of a toy trident…probably from a Halloween devil costume.  The head is Styrofoam with some waxy residue coating it.

Canada Geese with young

While making the Neptune figure I recall seeing Canada Geese parading their goslings around the creek mouth that feeds into the Ohio River.

Ohio River Neptune

Here’s where I left Neptune standing on an old railroad tie.  His body was a nice portly chunk of Styrofoam.  This was sited in the park’s western side near a favorite stand of cottonwood trees.  This little grove has amazing exposed roots that support these trees and form overhanging canopies that you can sit under.  Fewer people venture out this far from the parking lot.

Groundhog Head

This post promised a groundhog’s head…and here it is.  I snapped this image of a young whistle pig poking its anterior out of its burrow.  Around here, you do need to pay attention to where you walk because it’s very easy to twist an ankle or break a foot stepping into one of their holes.

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Audubon’s Apotheosis

Posted in Absurd, 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, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on June 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Audubon's Apotheosis, 6/09

John James Audubon is one luminary that the Commonwealth of Kentucky claims as one of it’s own.  Like Daniel Boone before him and Abraham Lincoln after…Audubon did live in the state before moving on to other locations.  At least the wandering Audubon considered himself a lifelong Kentuckian.  Currently, we are “celebrating” the bicentennial of Audubon in Louisville.  The connection that the famous naturalist has to this area and to the Falls of the Ohio in particular is a linkage I enjoy.  I have created several “Audubons” since I began this project…here’s the latest.

Audubon, bird detail, 6/09

When Audubon lived here, Louisville was a frontier town.  The landscape then is completely different than it is now.  The trees have changed, many of the animals are gone including the famous passenger pigeon that Audubon first drew at the Falls.  Much of my project stands in contrast to what Audubon knew…and is one reason I use the materials I do to construct these little figures.  Reading Audubon’s journals makes me hungry for a world that doesn’t exist anymore.  The challenge is to keep it from degrading further.  Materials I used for this piece include:  various polystyrene foams, wood, plastic, coal, and nuts.  I made this sculpture early in the day, but the light was so bright and harsh, I re-photographed it before sundown.  I still think I can work on this image more.

Audubon's head, detail, 6/09

I found this little hickory nut and split it in half to form the eyes.  The mouth is part of a walnut husk.  Over the years I have portrayed Audubon in various guises.  This one is by far the most “romantic” of the lot, but that’s okay.  My friend Raymond Graf created an official life-size bronze Audubon for the City of Henderson in western Kentucky.  In Audubon’s time the town was known as Red Banks.  Today, there is a state park there that has one of Kentucky’s crown jewels…a museum preserving the largest collection of Audubon art and family heirlooms and worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood.  Audubon now lends his name for conservation purposes…hence the apotheosis.  So, let’s look at a few birds I saw today worth protecting…

Rough-winged Swallow, 6/09

This Rough-winged Swallow is far from the most colorful bird, however, it is still interesting.  At the Falls, small groups of these birds build their nests in holes dug into the sides of the riverbank.  Even the most ordinary animals are worthy of consideration and not just the spectacular ones.

Black Vulture, 6/09

We have two vulture species at the Falls.  This one is the Black Vulture…we also have Turkey Vultures.  I have photographed both species many times over the years.  The Black Vultures in particular like to hang out in bigger flocks.  I have seen both species feeding side by side on dead fish.  It is intriguing for me to think that some of the birds I have seen here may be descendents from the species that Audubon saw, recorded, and drew.  I’ll end with two last images.  One is the makeshift studio where I’ve been working and made today’s sculpture.  The other is one of many variations I tried today of placing the figure in some kind of context.

outdoor studio, 6/09

Audubon's Apotheosis, variation, 6/09

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The Inhaler

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 June 7, 2009| 2 Comments »

Eight tires, 6/09

The river clean-up has come and gone.  Around the park are clear plastic bags pregnant with rubbish.  In a way, the garbage hasn’t gone anywhere…it’s still waiting to be taken out.  All my sculptures are where I left them as are my caches of branches and Styrofoam.  Time to make a figure from this day’s experiences! 

The Inhaler, 6/09

The Inhaler, detail, 6/09

As alarmed as I am about the water, the quality of the air is also a matter of concern.  We live in the bottom of the Ohio Valley and during the summer the air can get quite thick with the residues of burning coal, ozone, and pollen.  At the coroner’s office, they can tell if you lived in this valley just by the types of fungi found in your lung tissue.  The river is getting cleaner…believe it or not, but the air we breathe needs help too!

The Inhaler, 6/09

People believe the atmosphere, like the ocean, is limitless.  If you were to walk in a straight line for two miles and wrap that distance around the globe…well, that’s all the air there is to breathe.  From space, the atmosphere is so thin you can barely make it out.  It’s a bubble enclosing a rock.  This figure began with finding the inhaler.  More and more people are being affected by breathing issues like asthma.  Oxygen bars are popular in other places in the world.  I wonder if that would work here?  The body of this figure is made from what I call “large curd” polystyrene…I don’t run into this stuff that often.  Time for another puff.

A Trio of Figures, 6/09

Someone placed the brush in the hand of the figure wearing the clock.  Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to tell if anyone has been by recently.  I really enjoy it when other people play along.  It adds another dimension to my river project.  I did have a family with four kids watch me work on this today.  The children loved what I was doing, but the parents….?

Found cartoon dog face, 6/09

Tomorrow is shaping up to be another nice weather day.  I will try to make and post something else.  This little dog face I found today makes me smile.

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Birds on a Line

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, collections, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , on June 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Styro-kingfisher

From the archives come these images of faux-birds made at the Falls of the Ohio.  In an earlier post, I had mentioned suspending my birds from waste fishing line to try to create the illusion of a flying bird.  Here are images from one day’s experiment when the wind was blowing a bit more than usual.  I also used a piece of aluminum wire and fashioned eyehooks and s-hooks to do the hanging.  In most of them, the fishing line is really obvious and to my mind…kind of funny in a no-tech sort of way.

Flying Kingfisher

I call this one the “Flying Kingfisher”.  It’s made from Styrofoam, driftwood, coal, and plastic.  The wings are fragments from the lids of minnow buckets used to carry live bait.  The next bird is a Chickadee or something!

Head-on Styro-chickadee

Flying Styro-chickadee

This “Flying Styro-chickadee” was made with my son, Adam’s help.  It now flies from the dining room’s chandelier in a small flock of other birds.

Three Flying Styro-birds

As a boy, I made many plastic model airplanes that are out of fashion now.  You know…the ones where you had to read the instructions and carefully glue the pieces together.  The Styro-birds have the same feel to me as when I made those plastic models.  I bet I made at least one kit representing just about every type of aircraft flown in both the world wars.  I also remember painting them to look as authentic as possible.   These birds, however, are as is and made from junk I collected along the Ohio River.

Styro-birds on the sand

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Garden Art Opening

Posted in Art, art and environment, creativity, Green, nature, public art, recycled art, sculpture, tagged , , , , on May 31, 2009| 1 Comment »

Holly Allee, Yew Dell Gardens, 5/09

Yew Dell Gardens is the polar opposite of the landscape I usually site my art.  Where I’m used to the flux and drama of the Ohio riverscape…at Yew Dell Gardens…man is the measure.  It is a lovely and ordered experience walking around the various interesting buildings and admiring the skill of the gardeners.  From a previous post, I have accepted an invitation to exhibit one of my works in Yew Dell Gardens’ 2nd Annual Sculpture in the Dell show.  The opening night was as perfect as weather in our area gets which is so important to the success of a mostly outdoor show.  Following are a few images of the 60 or so works on display.  Yew Dell did a wonderful job placing the work, creating a nice printed program with map, artist statements, and price list. 

Meg White's "Sea Lion", 5/09

Kentucky sculptor Meg White has three limestone works on display including this “Sea Lion”.  Meg has built a solid reputation on her carvings and bronzes of animal subjects.  She likes to incorporate the matrix of the stone as part of the work’s content.

"Warped Frame, Tom Butsch, 5/09

One of my favorite works in the show is Tom Butsch’s “Warped Frame” which hangs from an unseen tree branch.  It’s such a simple work consisting of aluminum tubes and steel cable.  The center tube pivots in the slightest breeze and makes a nice tone when it strikes the frame.  I like his statement about not wanting to create an object as much as providing an ongoing visual experience.  Over the years, he has made many kinetic pieces.

"Abraham Lincoln", Raymond Graf, 5/09

Lincoln was born in Kentucky and this year we are celebrating the bicentennial of this event.  This over-lifesize bronze bust is by Raymond Graf.  I think this is one of the more compelling images of the great president I have seen.  It sits on a nice limestone pedestal with the name “Lincoln” insribed on it.  Graf’s bronze portraits are well known in our area.

Falls Scarecrow in Kitchen Garden, 5/09

Here’s the back of my scarecrow…like the red reflector butt cheeks?  When I delivered this piece, the kitchen garden didn’t yet exist.  It should be fun watching how this site changes over the two month course of the exhibition.  What I didn’t show were all the people who attended this event.  I have a habit of waiting for people to get out the shot before taking the picture!  I have other Yew Dell Garden images and will try to post them as time goes by… www.yewdellgardens.org

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My Foaming Brain

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

My Foaming Brain, 5/09

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

tree on wier dam, 5/09

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

Cracking mud, 5/09

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

The Exhibit, 5/09

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

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Styro-Storm Bird

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

Styro-Storm Bird, 5/09

Styro-Storm Bird, 5/09

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

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

Eastern Kingbird, 5/09

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Baby Sun with Rattle

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

Baby Sun, 5/09

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

Silver-spotted Skipper, 5/09

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

Yellow Warbler, 5/09

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

Baby Sun with Rattle, 5/09

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Orange-collared Thickbill

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

Orange-collared Thickbill, 5/09

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

Orange-collared Thickbill and fluff, 5/09

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

male, American Goldfinches, 5/09

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

willow tree, 5/09

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Magic in the Air

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

hair brush and willow fluff, 5/09

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

little guy pulling shoe, 5/09

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

Little Guy pulling a Shoe, 5/09

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

Shoe Rider, 5/09

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

Riverscape, 5/09

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