HEAD IN THE CLOUDS airbnb

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HEAD IN THE CLOUDS airbnb is my third piece showing at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts through August as part of the ROAD TRIP show. This was a fun piece to make...a healthy stretch of my imagination. This mixed media sculpture measures 12" x 15.5" x 1.5". The image is a compilation of 3 photographs that have been seriously photoshopped and messed with until I could come up with something that resembled a hybrid between photography and an illustration. The final result is ink jet printed using archival pigment inks and finished with a cold wax treatment. The edges are photo etched brass depicting the 4 directions...NORTH...SOUTH...EAST...WEST. Three small articulated inspection mirrors are mounted to the top of the cradle board.


This is the ad that is printed and included with the piece in a library envelope pasted to the back.

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
airbnb

Disconnect for a while and come stay in this unique
and charming airbnb...where the air is clear and
the stars are unobstructed. We are currently
taking reservations.

This floating trailer has one bedroom that can
accommodate two and a small but cozy kitchen.
Pets are allowed but only those with wings are
recommended. The view varies but is always lovely.
Power is provided by the sun and GPS is available.
CHECK IN is at 1pm. CHECK OUT IS AT 11 AM BYOP
(bring your own parachute).
SIGNAL MIRRORS ARE AVAILABLE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

REVIEWS:
A great night sky...felt like I was with the stars. -Jane

Watch that first step...it's a doozy!!! -Eugene

Best sleep ever...I dreamed I was floating. -Zo

Be sure to bring your binoculars and sunscreen. -Tim

A view to die for!!! -Amelia

My friend and I stayed at HEAD IN THE CLOUDS airbnb during
a lunar eclipse. The experience is on my list of most
memorable times ever. -Liz

My cockatiel, Betty, and I had a wonderful time...thank
you. -Ruby

A CHANGE OF PLANS

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A CHANGE OF PLANS is the second piece of art I am exhibiting at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts during the month of August for the ROAD TRIP show. This piece measures 12" x 14" x 1.5". Photo etched copper wraps the sides and the surface is finished with a cold wax treatment. A nicely worn piece of driftwood crowns the cradleboard, acting as a finial. The image is a compilation of several photos. I like to mess around in photoshop sending various photos through filters, etc., until I come up with an image that is somewhere between a photograph and an illustration.





In July of last year I traveled to Vermont to meet up with my sisters on Lake Champlain. My youngest sister, Lisa, and her partner, Greg, have a wonderful lake house right on the water complete with an osprey nest. Putting up a platform for the ospreys to build on was one of the first things Lisa and Greg did once they owned the property. They were rewarded almost immediately when a pair of osprey started bringing sticks to the platform and constructing their nest. That osprey nest is the center of attention of the property. With a spotting scope you can watch all the intimate details of osprey life...the day in and day out of sitting on eggs...ripping pieces of fish to feed the chicks...a little R&R for mom to just get to stretch her wings...and eventually watching the young ospreys practice flying by flapping their wings and lifting off the nest just a few inches. For the days we got to spend at the lake, we were enthralled by the ospreys. We were also enthralled by a small red-winged blackbird that just liked to hang out near the nest. Every morning we could hardly wait to look through the spotting scope to see if the red-winged blackbird was still there...and every morning, it was. We began calling this little bird, the mascot. Lisa emailed us this spring to say that the ospreys were back...and yes...the mascot was back, too. I just love that.

THE MASCOT

Perched on a branch that extended beyond the circle
of the nest, the red-winged black bird stayed ever so
close to the osprey pair, earning the nickname, the
mascot. On many occasions the mascot would fly out
to meet the male osprey as he returned to the nest, a
fish tight in his talons.

Like a vigilant shadow, the dot-of-a-bird would watch,
the feeding of the chicks...the change in the weather...
the stars as they disappeared into morning. Through
the whole summer, in what could only be called
adoration, the little mascot seemed content to only
watch and wait, a mysterious witness.

A year has gone by and the ospreys have returned.
As they shore up their nest, a small blackish bird can
be seen perched on one of the branches...it looks a
lot like a red-winged blackbird. Yes...yes...the mascot
is back...and we watch and wait in what can only be
called adoration.


This is the osprey platform and nest on Lisa and Greg's property. If you look closely you can see the red-winged blackbird sitting to the right of the nest.


This is my little sister, Lisa. We sometimes call her, bird. It must be because of those skinny legs.


My sister, Mary, on the left and me, Shane, on the right.


Another favorite thing to do at the lake was to wait until dark and take flashlights down near the water and touch huge frogs that were mesmerized by the light....so fun.


Several pieces of steel sculpture are dotted around on the property. This is my favorite, a large rusted steel arrow that has become the symbol of Lisa and Greg's property.

THE COAST BY NOON

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Friday evening, August 7th, is the opening of a new group show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts titled ROAD TRIP. I am so excited to be part of this show....the theme is right up my alley. No one likes a road trip more than I do and if you throw a vintage trailer into the mix...well...let's just say I am over the moon. One day I hope to have a sweet little vintage camping trailer of my very own...maybe I need two...one for the road and one to plant on my property as an airbnb.


THE COAST BY NOON is one of three pieces I have made especially for this show. It measures 10" x 10" x 1.5 inches. The image is one of my photos sent through a few filters and photoshopped to look like the result of a marriage between photography and illustration...a look I am quite drawn to. The image is printed with archival pigment inks and is then attached to a cradleboard...messed with a little...and finally sealed with varnish and cold wax. The sides are photo etched nickel and depict symbols that we have all learned to associate with campgrounds. A sweet little piece of driftwood from a favorite local beach acts as a finial.





The model for this piece is my very own vintage toy truck and trailer that live on the windowsill in my living room. These little trailers make me smile every time I see them.



I think the idea of a road trip is somehow built into my DNA. My mom and dad took a major road trip for their honeymoon, traveling from Hot Springs, AR to Sequoia National Park by car. I think there were several breakdowns along the way. One was captured by my mom...it is one of my all-time favorite photos.

That spirit of adventure must have stayed with my mom and dad even after they had a passel of children. In hindsight, I think they were so brave to load 5 kids in a car pulling a pop-up camper, or better yet, a converted school bus complete with 4 bunkbeds and a little kitchen. I remember many trips to Padre Island, TX and eating pancakes in the morning with just a little sandy grit in them...we didn't seem to mind. Another memorable trip was going to Estes Park, CO, and later driving up Pikes Peak in the bus as it overheated again and again. I also remember that each of us kids got car sick, one after another, as we slowly made our way up the mountain. I am so grateful for the memories...for the time spent with my family...and especially for my brave mom and dad.