WATCHING FOR SIGNS OF SPRING

I can't remember a year when I've looked more forward to the arrival of spring. It's not that it has been a hard winter...it's been mild here in Port Townsend...it's more about the light and the sun and some signs of hope. At my house some of those signs include the early morning songs of birds...a pair of chickadees checking out one of my birdhouses...rough skinned newts migrating across the road toward the water...pussy willows about to burst open...and just a general lifting of the spirit.


Tonight at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts is the opening of a show called DOORS. I have two pieces in the exhibit...this one is titled WATCHING FOR SIGNS OF SPRING. It is 2 x 5.75 x 10.75 inches. The front of the house is photo-etched red brass and the back wall, door, roof and the vintage image of the woman is photo-etched nickel. The framework of the box is cherry. I was determined to make a house that was not a rectangle. It's been many years since I've taken geometry and figuring out all the angles and making tight joints was a real challenge. It's hard to tell in the photo but there is mica behind the window and just beyond that a small bird on a nest. The swallows on the inside of the door are a traditional symbol of spring and the hands on the outside of the door are symbols of welcoming. The woman is holding a large bouquet of spring flowers and represents that place within the heart that longs to dig in the dirt this time of year. You can tell by the original photo that she is someone who long loved flowers and birds and rough skinned newts and all the hope that comes with spring.