Camera shy -

"Hide and Seek"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

"... I was a shy little girl,
nothing like I am now ..."
- Debra Wilson

Thursday Challenge: Play -

"Selfportrait of the Artist With Monster Teeth"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

I was thinking that a bit of an explanation might be useful with today's post. Both of my granddaughters enjoy playing a game called "monster" where Poppa slowly chases them around the house, grunting and growling and making proper monster noises. On this particular day I suggested that we make some scary teeth for the monster ... here they are! :)

Thursday Challenge: Youth -

"Cousins Stacking Stone"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

"... when I was in kindergarten, I had one line in a little play. I said, I am Patrick Potato and this is my cousin, Mrs. Tomato, and I heard laughter. I wanted to be an actress from that moment on ..." - Doris Roberts

NEW from The Selfportrait Series -

"Selfportrait of the Artist as Poppa"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather
- photograph taken by Leighlund Ruth Vincett -

It's always an adventure when I get to share my art activities with both of my beautiful granddaughters, Leighlund and Paige. Today's post is inspired by this week's Thursday Challenge theme, male, and a fortuitous photograph that Leighlund took (using my Kodak Z740) during the documentation of Lieghlund's Cairn I. There's also a second piece, Leighlund's Cairn II, that has never been posted - it's waiting for one of my land art books if the girls and I can complete another dozen works. As luck would have it, double duty means this can also serve as part of The Selfportrait Series ... who knew?

Time flies -

"Red Arrow"
land art by Paige Elizabeth Herzog

It barely seems possible that so much time has slipped away. Back in early October my two youngest granddaughters helped Poppa do a bit of land art, a lovely rock bridge that you can read about here, in the stream next to Leighlund's house. After said bridge work was completed, Paige did a fabulous job announcing it's presence with this beautifully composed red arrow. When I mentioned that you should all stay tuned, I had no idea that almost two and a half months would pass. Considering the heavy snowfall we've had for five days I suppose this bit of green may be a welcome sight, even if only for a moment.

Thursday Challenge: Favorite -

"Leighlund & Paige"
photograph by Mick Mather

This week, favorite is the theme at Thursday Challenge. I suppose it's somewhat annoying to go on and on about my grandchildren but, with a knowing bias, this pair must be two of the most beautiful that any grandfather could hope for. Only granddaughter number three, Keisha (at seventeen already a beautiful young woman), is missing from the picture but not from my heart. Anyway, here's a view of two-thirds of my favorites posing next to the creek sculpture that Paige suggested, originally discussed and seen here. Can you feel the proud grin I'm wearing from where you are? Okay, I'll stop now. :)

Another beautiful day -

"Paige's Bridge"
stacked stone sculpture by Mick Mather

Today was tree planting for the the "Green Spaces Grant" that was awarded this summer to landscape designer, Mark Moncavage and I. As I may have mentioned before, my sculpture, Trinity #2, is scheduled for installation amid 5 flowering crabapple trees on the Creek Walk at Inner Harbor in Syracuse, New York. As soon as the piece is approved by the Public Art Commission and accepted by the Syracuse Common Council, Steve Cooper, my fabricator, will proceed to build and install it ... but, that's another story. My beautiful granddaughters, Leighlund and Paige, came to the planting and had quite good time. Later in the day the three of us went down the other creek - the little stream near Leighlund's house - to inspect "Leighlund's Cairn". Having suffered some bit of damage since I was there last, it had to be completely rebuilt. I'll be showing the new piece very soon, but here in today's post we have a little stone bridge that was suggested by Paige and constructed by all three of us as a team. I seem to have a pair of budding land art sculptors growing on the vine here and there's more to show you. Stay tuned!