So yea... Tanzanian Wablybong. Where did THAT come from? It all started with Athens Arts announcement of the REvision exhibition. I wanted to do a strange bird. I could see it in my head, and it needed to come out. I begged my Facebook friends to find me a pink flamingo. I wanted to find a discarded, unloved bird for this work of art. I started gathering supplies. As I was doing this my husband Drew started getting the bird fever. He found an old discarded skillet and removed the handle He brought me his offering with a tentative look on his face. “YES, that is perfect for the base! Good thinking.” He ground it sprayed a bit of textured paint on it and we had a base. Finally a friend came through with the bird. Now the fun can start! Drew grabbed the legs and took off with them as I started spraying a base coat on the bird. When he returned he had two lovely legs. He had wrapped the legs in copper wire that he had stripped from old appliance cords. We started thinking about feet and again Drew came through. Grabbing and old pair of his slippers he got busy. As I am cutting feathers from pop cans and inhaling spray paint fumes, Drew was busy fashioning feet out of slipper soles and making sure our bird wouldn’t walk off of the skillet. The next phase was gluing on the feathers and wrapping his neck in embossed aluminum foil. We seemed to be in total sync when it came to our vision of this bird. As I was putting all the little finishing touches on him Drew walks in the studio with the finishing touch. He had created a mohawk and dreadlock out of our Australian Shepherd’s hair. I added a bit of funk to the dread and we called it done. Every work of art needs a name. As I am finishing up Drew walks in and says, “ Wablybong…. Tanzanian Wablybong.” And that my friends, is how the bird was born. Come visit us at Athens of Indiana Arts Gallery Friday night. 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There are many beautiful pieces from so many talented artists. I am sure you’ll find something that speaks to you!
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AuthorWho am I? Wife, mother, grandmother, friend, quirky kinda chick with a laugh that is too loud and a sense of humor that is at times a bit warped. Archives
May 2020
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