An Artist, Secret Collaborators and The Critic

If asked, most artists would be appalled if any animal pooped or peed on their master pieces. Not me! I take enormous pride when I discover anything of a digestive nature on my creations. That’s because I find my inspiration from, in, and of nature. And when it’s been created correctly, nature gives me her seal of approval when her creatures leave their “calling cards.”

It all started several years ago when I found several “magic kingdoms” as I call parks. One in particular stands out as it’s in the heart of Arlington, Va. but once inside you’d think you were in the middle of nowhere. Its hills and valleys are topped off by old growth tree’s, crisscrossed by several streams and bridges with easily accessible paved and unpaved trails. 

Over the course of several months walking the various paths I began to notice “patterns” that appeared to have been put in place by some unforeseen hand. Rocks in the middle of a stream, in the shape of a pyramid and long branches, expertly woven together to form a tapestry of a teepee like object.

Having an artistic side as well, I decided to join in the fun when I moved to a location on the other side of Old Town Alexandria. As I prowled the various nearby parks there was one that stood out for its rich diversity of flora, fauna, and free art supplies, Dyke Marsh.

With a trail that winds through groves of towering sycamores, oak, and dogwood trees, it ends at a deck that juts out almost to the middle of the tidal Potomac River. It was along this stretch of trail that I found an abundance of sun bleached driftwood that I could use to manifest museum quality works of whimsy a la Andy Goldsworthy. 

Scouring the many beaches that are only reviled at low tide, I picked my way through piles of debris to find the one or two unique pieces of gnarled, burled, and forked limbs. Once there are enough I assembled my works at a predetermined location along the path. 

My hope was that people who came upon these creations would pause and
ask themselves if these were there by a random chance of tide and wind or by
the hand of a human.

Over a period of months I had made several of these, each an ever evolving work in progress, when I began to notice that persons unknown were tweaking them! It might be that they added a piece or two of wood to give the sculpture a more nuanced appearance or they rearranged the design to give me a new perspective of the possibilities. With the giddiness of a child on Christmas morning, I’d approach each site with great expectations of how it may have morphed into something more magical than the day before.

 After over a year of this collaborative bliss, a “critic” had the nerve to enter the picture!  It began shortly after Christmas of 2012 when some “Grinch” started slaughtering my artistic endeavors. Instead of rounding each bend on the path with high hopes of finding something new and amazing, my heart was filled with dread. Not only did it boggle my mind that someone couldn’t appreciate the beauty of my work, but that they could be so malicious as to break limbs or fling the branches to the nether regions of the marsh.

Not being one to tolerate an injustice, I donned my Sherlock Holmes cap to find the curmudgeonly culprit. First I approached the “regulars” who roam the marsh, but they all liked what I was doing, with one commenting that he thought druids were at work! Then I spoke with the Friends of Dyke Marsh who claimed that they weren’t the “critic” and that actually they occasionally took pictures of these creations and posted them online.

I finally approached the Park Service personnel, who originally stated it wasn’t them but reversed course several weeks later. It turns out that “someone” considered these works of art to be “buildings” and as such, can’t be on National park lands.  Explaining that they were just sticks and branches that were “arranged” and the birds loved them for protection from predators, the “critic” stopped showing up!

Happily for the past month or so I’ve been rebuilding and reworking my master pieces. The birds have returned leaving their distinct calling cards and the collective collaborators have returned as well, even creating their works, including a little troll house!

Just last weekend as I was exiting my “magic kingdom” I crossed paths with a family, including three young children in tow, each with a long stick in hand, heading towards the end of the trail. The next day I discovered those very sticks in one of my more complicated pieces. My heart soared higher than the pair of Osprey flying overhead.

Now, if I could just figure out who is plucking my feather
tree …..