Near the Natural Spring

A mile or so from the new house stands a natural spring site where many in the area stop to collect water. It is an active popular spot. Over time it seems others have augmented to the natural beauty of the woods environment. There are a few benches built into the woods inviting people to come in and enjoy the site. Another addition is a flower box where someone has planted colourful blooms. It is slightly rocky and steep but open with worn paths up the slope and deeper into the trees. 

There is a spot paved off the main road where two cars could comfortably park and access the water. The water comes from a pipe into the rock and flows into a large wooden barrel that overflows with another pipe running the water into a ditch. Mention the spring on Greenhill road, and everyone seems to know the location. 

I had entered a project offered by the art house site out of Boston. It asked for entries to take on a mystery project. Intrigued, I decided to take up the challenge as I like the fact it would mean giving away your artwork as a public site art piece. I began the piece and immediately thought of the spring area for a public art site. Looking up into the woodsy area, an artwork could not be missed.  Enthusiastically I decided it was a good opportunity to get back into my sculpture. I wanted an easy material that would take the elements. I had some winter stone plaster and cement product that I thought would work well especially as there was limited time to the project and sculpture is a slow building process. It had been a few years since I used this material.

While I got the wire mesh structure ready and applied some burlap dipped in the winter stone to the wire as an armature, the package from the art house project arrived. In the entry was a theme I hadn’t expected but I was already into my piece. Luck was with me and my idea piece suited the theme perfectly. The theme was, “Robots take over an elementary school.” I chuckled as I had the child already in process and it was waving with a hello, enthusiastically. This is how I think robots would be received coming into an elementary school.  I would use a more contemporary method because of time and exaggerate the body language but make the face realistically so that it is received with familiarity by viewers.

When completed, my husband attached it to the site and it showed up well in the woods environment, seen easily from the spring well head.  I am sure it will be received with a chuckle as it greets the people collecting the water. It is anonymous as the mystery part of the project and will be interesting to see how it is accepted and if it remains on site. Each time we go up to the land during the build or when we move there, we will view the sculpture piece in the woods at the spring. MY little touch of self in my new home.