Re-Centering at the Top of the World

The famous Barrow Whale bone arch. These are the bottom jaw bones from a Bowhead Whale! Umiaq boats are on each side waiting for the Spring Whale hunt. Skins will be stretched across them.

Little did I realize how much I was in need of getting re-centered. For a special project I was fortunate enough to travel to Barrow, Alaska the farthest North American city. Attending Kivgiq an Inupiat dance and drumming festival I was witness to many culturally rich traditions and people from many villages across the North Slope Borough. Daylight finally appeared for the residents of Barrow in January and while we were there the sun provided blue-bird, crystal clear days with balmy -30 below temps the entire trip. I loved it. I’ve been pouring over my photos from the trip and appreciating the vastness and calm I felt while there. 

 This is the KIVGIQ celebration held at the Barrow, Alaska High School.  Villages from across the North Slope Borough gathered for the 5 day bi-annual event. 

We found a Ptarmigan on the side of the road and I harvested the feathers in the name of ART!

This is a fresh Polar Bear track we found out at Point Barrow -locals told us it was SMALL!

Another important experience I had this weekend was plugging in my plasma cutter and welder for a sculpture I’m making for the KNBA Art Auction. This was no easy task!  Not only am I OUT OF SHAPE slinging steel but most of my tools were still packed away and because of no shop and only the small detached garage we have with our little downtown house I needed to cut and weld outside -it’s February in Alaska…  Daddy-O provided me power and even a clean area to work in. With a couple of warm layers on, wool socks and working quickly I think I can pull it off. Snow started to fall this evening just as I was finishing the plasma cutting. I’m hoping it trails off for tomorrow so I can weld up the seal sculptures. After the trip to Barrow, not only did the weather seem BALMY I was crazy inspired and the sparks were even more beautiful from my long absence from metal work.

Sparks Among Friends

What a better way to plug in the plasma cutter and welder again than doing so among friends. Last winter a friend of ours wanted to buy her three sisters unique Christmas gifts and something that they could all do together.  She asked if I’d be willing to host a metal arts day where everyone could experience some plasma cutting, welding while creating pieces in the metal arts. SURE, I said! THEN we MOVED and my whole workshop and studio was packed up. Everyone gracefully waited while Daddy-O got me up and running so we could have our “Flame Chick” weekend! What fun. I asked each person to think of a design they'd like to make and bring a drawing or an idea on an 11x17 piece of paper. I also emailed several different ideas so we’d hit the ground running. After an overview of all the tools and some hands on practice each person was thrilled to MAKE and TAKE home at least two sculptures each! They were quick studies and what fun it was to still fit in my Carhartt’s and weld again! 

Wasn’t I just complaining about not going fishing? Look what the boy bought –A BOAT!

 And guess what the family went and did? GO FISHING, of course! Catching was a bit slow but the fishing was a hoot. The boy did a great job of learning to drive the boat while learning to read the river with Daddy-O’s help.  We’ll head out again when the next run of Silver Salmon are running and hopefully I’ll show some catching pictures!

Even Olive Dog sported her PFD. She loved the river and the boat, but she loved the raw salmon and bait that she got into even more... We DIDN'T LOVE what came out of her for the week -and had to take a trip to the VET for a Rx to clear up her "little bowel problem from her sushi overload." Gross.

This Thing Called Art

The above photo was taken by photographer, Heather Thamm while I was working on some pieces for my upcoming show at Half Moon Creek Gallery. Cool huh?!

Who says I don’t understand the “art of compromise?!” There have been some ongoing issues with the final location of my proposed 1% Public Art Sculpture “Bicycle Bloom.” My proposed sculpture was one of 5 new Public Artworks scheduled to be installed this Spring as part of the Mt. View renewal and beautification project along Mt. View Drive and the new Bragaw overpass. There have been several new businesses and capital improvements taking part in the revitalization –including a new Jr. High School and Credit Union One building. On Wednesday, a site meeting was called for all the core-interested parties to discuss and hopefully resolve the current “issues” with regard to the final placement of my sculpture (there are no site issues with the other 4 sculptures). Though there have already been several meetings and plans drawn up with the landscape engineers and architects, the public art engineer as well as approvals from the Mt. View Road Improvement Public Art Selection Committee, there is still not a final go-ahead for my sculpture –which I need before ANY fabrication can begin. I didn’t select the site for “Bicycle Bloom,” the 6 member Public Art committee decided the appropriate locations for each work. A short

story long is that the architects for the newly constructed “financial institution” feel the already committee approved public art sculpture “Bicycle Bloom” will impede the view of not only the front of their new building but also obstruct window views from within the lobby –though the sculpture is over 20’ tall…

Our site meeting took place during a freak, Springtime snow storm in which Anchorage saw at least 8” of sloppy, wet snowfall! At the meeting on the very busy corner of Mt. View Drive and Bragaw was the Mt. View Drive Road Improvement Coordinator, the “financial institution” representative, a representative from the architectural firm, the Curator of Public Art and myself –the artist. With her arms crossed and not once making eye contact with me, the financial representative who was clearly against placing the sculpture anywhere near their new building bluntly asked “so how tall is THIS THING anyway?!” Just about that time a HUGE semi sped by trying to make the intersection light and completely doused all of us in dirty, slushy ice water -I am not kidding!! With my stomach already in a nervous knot, now soaked, armed with my engineer renderings, site drawings and architectural plans I shared my creative vision as was proposed to the committee last Fall. After a bit of posturing and everyone trying to “best guess” under all of the snow, where the planter and walkways would be placed I listened to their concerns. I offered to have my sculpture arch to the right instead of the left and asked what if it could be taken out of the large Public Works planter and “scooched” (technical engineering term) a bit to the right of their storefront windows down the walkway a bit. It

seemed to work and everyone shook off the slush, nodded their heads in silent agreement and thought that would work just fine. There was some final “have your people call and e-mail my people” as we all retreated to the warmth of our cars. As soon as the confrontation had begun it was over with and appears at least for now, a clear resolution to issues that have been going on for weeks.

During the meeting the only vision I had was when Gus’ adversaries meet, at least they show up with MMA body guards, thick-necked guys in suits and swords drawn! That would have been much more dramatic at the corner of Mt. View and Bragaw –don’t you think?!

When the Metal Meets the Mud

The strike of inspiration continues...
Today I was able to continue work on a piece that was started back in January. I wouldn't have believed it was that long ago until I looked up the Blog entry -yikes! "The Strike of Inspiration" was about some fiberwork that I had seen by artist, Judy Perez and was so inspired by her Blog banner "Painted Threads," that I wanted to make a sculpture of a Humboldt Squid and a swimming Nautilus Shell. The clay work went pretty fast, fired well and then I opted to use some matte glazes instead of the Majolica glazes I first mentioned in my earlier Blog.

This week I finally picked up some 1/2" Cold Rolled Round Steel Stock for the squid tentacles. My first choice was to use at least 

3/4" - 1" but at more than $60 bucks a stick for the 3/4" the 1/2" would work fine ($25), Plus, with the thicker size comes added weight which starts to not be very practical for your average wall mounted sculpture. Bending that round stock was a BEAR! I'm not used to hand bending such thick material -I took a couple of Aleve after that workout!

 The Squid and the Shell have holes on their backsides that I drilled while still leather hard clay. The plan (today) is to wire the body over the tentacles o

nce all of the hot, welding and metal work is done. I'm thinking there will be some additional sealife embellishment including the strings of beadwork I like to use. I'm not sure what else... I'll weld up the Nautilus tentacles tomorrow.