Monday, May 19, 2008

This house was created last year. The river had carved out some lovely areas in the bedrock along one of the banks and the moss had been fed by the spring rains so it was rich and full. The large cottonwood tree had sheltered the area from the ravages of the winter ice and floods of spring. Lots of great building stone could be found, hidden in the pools and streambed below this site. It was on the side of the river that had a nearly vertical wall of vegitation going up approx 30 ft.... a challenging spot to reach, but such a pleasant place to work once one had managed the steep climb down.
This house took several days to construct and much of the structure remains hidden in this view, but it best shows that nestled feeling provided by the roots of the massive tree. Across from this spot a large pool and picnic rock was easily accessible, and fishermen and women would work the other side of the river sometimes not even realizing I was there. Weeks after creating the piece it still stood, sheltered under the tree. I would sometimes wander over to the fishing/picnic rock and listen to the kids eagerly pointing out the house across the pool to disbelieving parents. THAT was fun !

2 comments:

Laume said...

I wonder if I could make a faerie house somewhere along our local river trail for people to discover. This one you have made looks sturdy enough to survive all but perhaps a spring deluge.

Sally J Smith, Environmental Artist said...

Yes, this one was quite strong, but the river did eventually reclaim it....but I rebuilt it again just before winter came...it looked very cute with snow on it. But the spring floods left only a pile of stones.

I keep going back to the site thinking someone else may give it a try, but so far, no one seems to know the potential is right there waiting to emerge once more.

I would encourage you to go out there and make some houses...people love finding them and it is such a delightful process to engage with the Nature spirits and just see what happens.

Go for it !!

Welcome to the enchanted world of Environmental art and Faerie Houses sculptures created by Sally J Smith. Here you will find photos of the artist's unique art-forms and hear some of the stories from behind the scenes as she shares with you her creative process.