Meanwhile in Maine on March 29th.....

James' bright spot sculpture "Leap, run, leaping" always give a nice splash of colour to the whitened landscape.

 Yes folks it's March 29th and this is the scene out my back windows today - it's snowy again - what's remarkable is that this time last week we had all the windows and doors open and a balmy breeze was blowing through with delicious smells of spring - it was 85F.

All is not lost though as we are heading forth to warmer weather and we're finally on the backside of winter. Also this late snow is welcomed here in Maine and they call it "Poor Man's Fertilizer" because it provides a last shot of nitrogen to the soil.

Through the branches to the woods beyond.

 I do love this kind of now that sticks to everything and makes it a wonderland of beauty.

and lo - as I look out of the window now there's a glimmer of light in the sky and the promise of sun a bit later today!

Well Easter is soon upon us and I am pondering what pudding (dessert) to make for the occasion - I am caught between Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding and a Steamed Easter Pudding with nutmeg Sauce - this is a blond version of Christmas Pudding and is a lot lighter in texture - What do you think dear Readers?

In a Maine Afternoon.....

From this..........to this, in a couple of hours....the photo doesn't do it justice but this was an intense rainbow that only lasted a short time...glad I saw it out the window.
The sculpture is by James and is called "Leap, Run, Leaping"

The Midas touch in Maine

Goldfingers!! Ha ha. These last few weeks here in Maine have been a flurry of gold leafing activity....

..the shapes, which are aircraft grade aluminium (does that mean anything to you...means nothing to me but if you know aluminium it means a lot!!), have been primed and then sized with a special gold leaf size..size being a clear liquid that is brushed onto the primed surface and then allowed to dry to the point of being squeaky when rubbed with ones knuckle...I'm serious, that's the test for adequate dryness...before the tiny, little, flimsy, floaty, diaphonous gold leaf squares are carefully laid down and gently adhered to the prepared surface.

You need to lay the squares as close to one another as possible and preferably ever so slightly overlapped in order to make the most efficient use of your ever so expensive gold leaf...no wastage allowed....

....after your gold leaf has been laid it is then very gingerly burnished with a ball of cotton...or perhaps even a cotton ball...and any 'holidays' (ie places you've missed with the gold) are filled with the excess leaf floating around and about.

Here yours truly is laying out the letters which I have cut by hand...all thirty two words worth of them...onto the finished gold leafed shapes, you can see some blemishes here but they are burnished away before the final installation of the artwork...which is James' by the way and not mine...here I am the assistant to the Maestro!

Here are just a few of the finished shapes elegantly arrayed on a good old Maine drying rack...how many drying racks have been used before for such an elevated purpose??..you can see glimpses of the words which have been purposely designed in such a way by James so that they appear and disappear as they move in the lightest of breezes, which gives you a hint that perhaps these are part of a kinetic sculpture.

You will have to wait patiently for the next Midas installment when I will reveal the finished sculptures upon which all this divine gold has been lavished....I have to admit gold really is a magnificent metal which transforms the simplest of things into something so elegant and luxurious...and it's practical too...as a finish on a sculpture it can endure the harshest of Maine winters-it even improves with some wind burnishing, it is hard wearing, non-toxic for the environment, looks amazing and doesn't tarnish...what more could you ask for.....'til the next post...keep shining!!

Exhausted but elated!!

Well James and I managed to place his three metal sculptures at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and here are pics of them in situ as I promised in my last posting. The locations of the three pieces are really great thanks to the foresight of Suzette McAvoy, the show's curator. Have to admit we nearly gave ourselves hernia's placing "Leap, run, leaping" (top photograph) atop the grassy knoll and we were absolutely knackered by the time we were finished, but all is worthwhile in the name of art.........isn't it??? Hope you get the chance to see the sculptures at the gardens, their colours work really well in their respective sites...the red is amazing against the green vegetation, James choose the colour which is the exact complementary opposite wavelength of the green leaves to make the sculptures "jazz" and the blue of "Girl Facing North East" (bottom photograph) is a beautiful complement to the lovely light mushroom of the building trim. Well done James! Now go take a nap!