First Look at Sculptures Made at my Residency at Uphill Art Farm

View of Uphill Art Farm Lower Orchard, Copyright Elaine Luther 2015

I’m in West Virginia, up on the side of a mountain at the aptly named Uphill Art Farm. It takes 15 minutes just to get up or down the mountain. The photo above is of one of the three orchards that made of the Uphill Farm, back when it was a regular farm and not an art farm.

My Residency Studio

Here’s my studio for my time here! That was on move-in day, I’ve got it nicely cluttered up with projects now in multiple mediums.

My challenge to myself for my residency was to try some site-specific sculpture and I brought along some raw materials, plenty of glue and hundreds of pop rivets.

Orange Circles in Tree, Touching Ground, Copyright Elaine Luther 2015

You probably recognize that orange material from the letter “O” in the library installation of the word explore. Same basic construction method, using pop rivets, which are super cool, try ’em if you haven’t.

Orange Circles in Tree, Touching Ground, Copyright Elaine Luther 2015

Here are some wooden embroidery hoop sculptures installed in trees. These are part of my Balance and Tension series. Back in my home studio I have wall and pedestal sculptures made with embroidery hoops and wooden spools, these relate to those.

Double hoops on downed tree branch, Copyright Elaine Luther 2015

Hoops in front of landscape, Copyright Elaine Luther 2015

I tried this line of hoops in multiple trees, on the ground and hovering in the air, as in the photo above, before choosing just the right tree and installing it. I placed it so that the mower can still mow, it’s not in the way. At the base, it’s held down by a comically oversized knitting needle that I happened to have in my studio at home.

Line of Hoops in Apple Tree, Copyright Elaine Luther

Hoops with Swivels in Tree, Copyright Elaine Luther, 2015

Here’s one with both hoops attached to swivels, so they can both rotate in a complete circle.

All of these embroidery hoop pieces sway in a lovely way in the breeze, I took some video and will edit that up and share it sometime after I get home. (I also recorded some bird sounds, maybe someone can identify the one that sounds like a monkey for me.)

Hoops with Swivels in Tree, Copyright Elaine Luther, 2015

Precarious Tea Party, Copyright Elaine Luther 2015

That’s a tiny ceramic tea cup and saucer there!

When I’m installing these in the trees, dodging the poison ivy and trying not to destroy any spider webs, I’m reminded of artist Nina Kashadourian’s series Uninvited Collaboration with Nature.

That’s it for now! I’m also making table-top size Balance and Tension sculptures and doing mixed media collages with acrylic paint on wooden panels.

More posts to come on this topic!