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Where have all the flowers gone
I am grateful for my granddaughter delighting in my wooden bridges.
I'm grateful for chickadees, goldfinches, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, tufted titmouse, cardinals, dark-eyed junkos and, crap, even squirrels (because they're so, frickin' clever).
I'm so grateful for: my son and his partner who celebrated in my garden in anticipation of their marriage; my wife who finds her own solace in the garden; my friends who enjoy it with me; and my blogging partners who've aided and abetted this website.*The DutchmanThe winter whirls the windmills 'round She winds his muffler tighter, They sit in the kitchen Some tea with whiskey keeps away the dew*
Posted in Inspiration, Mind | 
Tags: art, Autumn, barbeque, chickadees, christmas shopping, chrysanthemums, dew, gift-giving, Goldfinches, granddaughter, howling winds, kale, muffler, parsley, perennials, season, sedum, solace, survival, Thanksgiving, tufted titmouse, wife, winter, winter days, wooden bridges | 
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Tin Man Garden Art
Tin Man overlooks the garden, standing near its wooded, western edge. He is flanked by two Tupelo trees and footed by woodland perennials: ferns, trillium, Lenten Rose (helleborus),
and viney ground cover (ajuga reptans). Hint: Don't ever plant Bugleweed - ajuga. Ever.)
at the annual North River Arts Society (NRAS) Festival of the Arts in Marshfield Hills, MA because it appealed to a grand whimsy and the price was right. Standing over 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall, Tin Man has occupied his outpost in my garden since June 2, 2006.
He debuted at the garden party celebrating Kenyatta Braithwaite's (Weymouth, MA) academic success. I had to disrupt NRAS protocol to liberate Tin Man in advance from the Festival; accomplished with support from our friend and NRAS kingpin, David Brega, just in time for Keny's party. Tin Man has attended all of our backyard events ever since.
But his profile reveals another truth - Tin Man is shallow and insubstantial. Almost two-dimensional, like Flat Stanley.
He takes our parties seriously. He attracts attention, yes, and teasing. But teasers poke fun fondly and he's never offended.
*Ars longa, vita brevis (Hippocrates), commonly translated as "art is long, life is short."
The Tin Man Cometh
Tin Man was created by Peter Beals, an auto body repair man from Kingston, Massachusetts. I purchased his work
Ars Longa Vita Brevis*
Gazing across the quiet garden he is stalwart, with a look of permanence and solidity.
*Ars longa, vita brevis (Hippocrates), commonly translated as "art is long, life is short."
Tin Man Zeitgeist
Postured, impermanent, intent, revealing and deceiving. Tin Man was one of the first non-functional additions to my garden. He has his own story and he's sticking to it. What story does your garden have? Share it!Posted in Art, Mind, Sculpture | Tags: ajuga, ars longa, art, bugle weed, David Brega, ferns, Festival of the Arts, Flat Stanley, garden, garden art, Helleborus, Hippocrates, Kenyatta Braithwaite, Kingston, Lenten Rose, Marshfield Hills MA, non-functional, North River Arts Society, NRAS, Peter Beals, sculpture, Tin Man, trillium, Tupelo, Victoria Childs, Weymouth, whimsy | 5 Comments »
18 Steps to a mirror in the garden
I discovered an outdoor art installation in a Paris park that inspired my garden mirror. The art was well-integrated into the context of the outdoor setting, not separate from it. I liked that. My idea was to hang a full-sized mirror in the garden that would reflect back on the garden. Read the story, see how to do it! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Art, Inspiration, Kinetic | Tags: art, environmental design, garden, garden projects, Georges Cain, installation, kinetic, Marais, mirror, natural sounds, nuit blanche, outdoor art, outdoor space, Paris, plywood, Reflection, Tupelo, wall mirror, wardrobe mirror, wind | 4 Comments »
Sarabande: Kinetic Garden Art
Sarabande is a mobile - kinetic art made from copper, bronze and aluminum, standing six feet tall with a six foot radius. She was conceived to replace a withered dwarf maple that once stood in the center of the garden. Whimsical wind mobiles, like garden sculptures, provide vertical and horizontal contrast -- plus movement -- to the surrounding perennials.
Besides freedom of movement, a mobile requires precisely balanced elements that communicate with each other, and sensitivity to slight, animating air movements.
Outdoors, a mobile must maintain its responsiveness while coping with extremes of wind, weather and elements; it must float on gentle breezes and ride out coastal gales. And do it all gracefully.
A Garden Dancer Comes to Life
Named for the courtly dance and musical movement from the Baroque era, Sarabande is the work of kinetic artist, Vladimir Barsukov (Perpetual Mobiles) from whom I took a mobile-making class in November, 2009. You might think of Alexander Calder, an American mobile artist whose work is in the Guggenheim Museum (NYC). Sarabande was almost a year in the making because Barsukov had to experiment with ideas and materials that would scale to larger proportions and perform well outdoors - wind mobiles can have a rougher life. Barsukov invented a sturdy pivot to give the mobile the needed "degrees of freedom."
sarabande-in-snow-4
sarabande-in-snow-5
Sarabande In Snow 2Installing the Mobile
I saw the first prototype at Barsukov's Cambridge studio in July, 2010. While the artist completed the final design, I had to figure out how to keep a mobile garden sculpture permanently straight and plumb. Googling
"Install flag pole" gave me a suitable plan -- I used: a post hole digger, gravel, concrete mix, wooden brace, with a carpenter's level to set the holding tube in a solid base, and... voila! I had a stable home for my mobile (a mobile home?).
The dwarf maple stood leafless in its last years. Stark and twiggy, it became a favorite perch for small birds. Chickadees and humming birds would alight on the end of a tiny dead branch to rest; it was our snag tree. It toppled of its own accord just before Sarabande's installation on October 30, 2010. Sarabande was too broad for that spot so we installed her farther back, overhanging the dwarf mountain laurel (kalmia latifolia v. 'Elf'), Alberta spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') and daphne. Originally a backyard patio idea, Sarabande moves gently and more subtly far away, where her long arm and large sweep complement her surroundings.
Reflections on Sarabande
As a foray in garden art, Sarabande makes quite a statement. A captive prima ballerina, both sturdy and lithe. Across the garden stands Tin Man looking on. In the spring, when the woods behind fill in with green, I may install a reflective background to highlight Sarabande's dance-like movement. Here's one idea I'm thinking of, using mirrored window panes:
With Sarabande, Tin Man now has a garden partner.
What moves your garden? Share the vision.
Posted in Art, Kinetic, Sculpture | Tags: Alexander Calder, aluminum, art, artist, bronze, Calder, chickadees, dance, daphne, degrees of freedom, design, dwarf maple, freedom of movement, garden, garden sculpture, garden statue, humming birds, kinetic, kinetic art, kinetic artist, maple, mobile, mobiles, mountain laurel, patio ideas, perennials, post hole digger, Sarabande, sculpture, Vladimir Barsukov, wind, wind mobiles | 10 Comments »
Hyperfocusing, or My Aching Back
Gardening "In the Zone". Hyperfocus is great for accomplishing tasks while displacing the cares of the world. I end up with pride of accomplishment and a self-induced worry-free reverie. But when the sun sets and I exit "the zone" I suddenly notice my aching back. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health, Mind | Tags: ADHD, art, garden projects, gardening, going with the flow, household harmony, hydrate, hyperactivity, hyperfocus, landscape designer, reverie, weekend gardener | 1 Comment »