Sweetie Comes Home

I brought Sweetie home today from the studio and installed her in the front garden. There she will be my tiny warrior, chin raised, cluthing her flower and leading her proud white steed.

She rests on a bed of anthracite coal, surrounded by railroad ties, which I put in a few years back. This coal bed has been the bed on which I have installed a small variety of paintings of various sizes over the years. I love anthracite coal as a landscaping stone because it is so black and I am very fond of industrial materials. I brought them all home myself in several trips, my pick-up truck groaning under the weight.

My front garden display changes throughout the year. I add or subtract different artworks as the mood strikes me.

Here is a view of most of the front yard:

The welded metal sculptures are by Wisconsin artist, Allen Miles. The flower forms which resemble sunflowers are actually plow blades. They also serve very well as bird and small animal feeders, because Allen provided a perch and a spike for corn or apples, or perhaps a nice piece of stale bread. I have several of his pieces and usually they end up next to my own paintings, having a nice conversation. I'll show you more later.