April

 

 Monday, 4.8.24

Project updates:

  • I thought I was going to be able to stand up my wooden beams (6’ tall and about 4” in diameter) in the old formula cans I had saved from the last months of Nova’s first year, before she transitioned to whole milk. I had been waiting for the right combination of weather/energy/time to myself to move on this step. When I went outside to test this weekend, I realized I would need a new plan, as these cans are far too small to support the beams! The Quickcrete (quick-setting concrete) instructions say to pour at least 2” around and as far down as possible to anchor posts.

 

  • I switched gears and focused on meditating and preparing the grass and ground for the installation. I removed the white plastic picket fence that has been the bane of my backyard existence. I finally finished lumping together leaves and dried grasses to spell out “TIME + SPACE” – which I had initially started in November! – and took photos. This project, while important to me conceptually, did not turn out very well, as the letters/words are too difficult to see. However, I learned a lot in doing so, and my brain wandered to other ways to create more contrast and clarity in large words spelled out on the ground. (Stones?) I also got to practice positioning my ladder and photographing the yard from a higher angle, which will be helpful in documenting the installation setup/completion/deterioration. 

  • Chris, Nova and I went to Home Depot and I picked up five white, 5-gallon buckets to pour concrete and set the posts instead. While not as exciting to me conceptually (and I would rather have found reused materials, but didn’t want to wait any further), I find the aesthetic acceptable, and have also considered ways to cover over the bases/buckets with sculpture in the final iteration. These will do for now, and will provide the added bonus that they will be moveable (at least at first), allowing me to position them just the way I want without first committing to digging holes – or possibly digging any holes at all. This might mean I don’t need to pick up any tools from the nonprofit tool libraries after all, which is a boon for the project timeline, but I still might use them for other resources such as circular saws if needed!

  • In researching concrete forms for pouring/molding, I learned a lot about various ways artists and DIY enthusiasts use concrete for making sculptures, which is exciting to me for future sculpture projects. I am bookmarking information for later reference. Not sure if it will come in handy for this project or not. I am also following up on researching the environmental impacts of concrete, which an artist friend mentioned to me; the chief culprit is usually the production of cement used in concrete, which leads to a lot of CO2 production and is a leading greenhouse gas contributor. 

  • I continue to learn through what doesn’t work as much as what does, and I gather my energy and resources for the next round of creation.

And the blossoms on the Rainier Cherry tree out back are finally blooming, too.

 
 
 

4.30.24

It’s the end of April now, and all five of the main posts have been set in concrete.

We’ve been trying to mow the lawn, but with our small battery-powered mower and the way we let the grass grow wild over the last year, it is taking multiple attempts just to make a dent. There is now a thick undergrowth of moss, which is actually rather nice (once the grass gets cut!) and I hope moss will eventually overtake the grasses.

I have chronic fatigue syndrome, which makes exertion extremely difficult for me to pace into a daily/weekly routine. My mother asked why I am doing this — why can’t I just paint something on canvas for my final project? — but my heart wants this to be BIG. I know it has to be. And I know I don’t have to do it alone in order for it to get done.

So, we press onwards.

I asked Chris to drag the posts out to the middle of the yard, even though it still isn’t mowed; I’ll figure out the grass later, or maybe hire someone to do it. Or just do a little bit at a time.

The result is pleasing — the first real, tangible evidence of what we are building here. And it’s working already — the neighbors have asked what is going on, and are pleased to hear it is an art project. People are psyched to come see what it becomes. So am I!