Solstice

Clusters of heavy thunderstorms going through all afternoon. This evening was the opening of the "Art in the Heart of the City" sculpture on the Ithaca Commons. The rain stopped and the sky cleared off just minutes before the ceremonies began. Afterwards, a tour of some of the sculptures. I talked about my two sculptures and seemed to get a good response from the crowd. Lots of excellent sculptures in the show. A must-see for anyone visiting Ithaca this summer.
Back home and off for a walk. On the longest day of the year there is plenty of light left. The air, cool and clear, cleansed by the storms. Distant clouds, puffy cumulus, chased eastward by the cold front.
The moon, a thin crescent sliver only a couple of days ago, is almost first quarter. The image is an inspiration for a mandala collage. And with sculptures done I will move on to my digital art. After all, the Ithaca Artist's Market will be held in just a few short weeks.

Dark Pyramid

Sunday morning I installed Dark Pyramid on the Ithaca commons. The sculpture is made of polychrome ferro-cement with a copper tip. It is almost nine feet tall. The installation was quite a challenge, particularly transporting it in my Subaru. It is the largest sculpture I have made, and I think I've reached my size limit.

Duamutef

Saturday morning I installed Duamutef on the Ithaca Commons. The sculpture is over six feet tall and is made of polychrome ferro-cement. It is based on Egyptian canopic jars

stone circle

Many years ago as a very young artist, I invented the stone circle. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed to find that I wasn’t the first. In fact it had been done many times before. I have since enjoyed the works of Richard Long, and admired his stone circles in many museums, including our own Johnson Museum . And one of my favorite sculptors, Andy Goldsworthy, has done many amazing circles in stone as well as other media.
Despite the fact that others have proceeded me, (probably for millennia), I still am fascinated by circles in landscaping. I have a large raised-bed garden in the form of a circle.
And now I have just finished a circular patio in flagstone. I took this picture before it was covered by furniture (the reason it was built in the first place). It shows some of the stonework detail. In the cold months with the furniture gone it will once again become “sculpture”.

sticks and stones

A pile of lumber and a pallet of flagstone from the local quarry.
The lumber,4”x4” is for fenceposts and 2”x6” for a raised bed. Refurbishing an old garden. The old wood, almost 20 years in the ground, is pretty much rotted out.
And the stone, nearly a ton, is for a new small circular patio. Pictures to follow.
Anyway, I still seem to be caught up in garden projects when I should be installing my sculptures. But the installation deadline has been extended by a week and I am taking advantage of glorious weather for outdoor chores.

suddenly summer

In the wink of an eye, summer is upon us. I am always amazed at the sudden change of seasons. And always caught off guard (you'd think that after years of the same experience, I would learn). But it is the usual scramble to try to keep up with the gardens and outdoor projects.
The woods are deep green, dense and lush. The forest floor dark enough that I must remember to bring my tripod to photograph ferns and wildflowers.
The lilacs are almost past, the rhododendrons in full glory. And in the moonlight (last night's full blue moon) the viburnums and bridal wreath spirea glow and the sweet smell of locust wafts in the sultry air.
This the season of artistic procrastination for me. With so many demands on my time, it is easy to get sidetracked. But I have obligations and deadlines, so work on sculptures will proceed.