"Mama Bear Blueberry Hedge" Commission

I completed the "Mama Bear Blueberry Hedge" this week and Daddy-O and I did the install this afternoon. This was a dream job commission. The client contacted me last Fall with her idea of a blueberry hedge that would be act as a year round divider for the beautiful bronze Bear sculpture by Jacques & Mary Regat. It was a luxury to have the whole winter

to think about how I was going to construct the small hedge and attach the blue glass bead "berries" the client requested. I wish I would have had this idea on my own but the idea completely belongs to the client. After studying digital images of blueberry bushes near our cabin, I plasma cut out small leaves from two large steel sheets of steel and constructed branches to form the 105" length of hedge. I built 3 sections of 20+ inches for a first fit then welded the sections to a length of flat

iron that was attached using all weather screws to the wooden section on location. We needed to have the hedge installed before the plants, flowers and landscaping started their summer bloom. The steel was left uncoated so it will weather to a natural brown patina. The highlight of the install today was stepping inside of the client's home and watching the sunlight catch the blue glass beads through the large, beautiful window as Mama bear smiled back at us.