Sometimes You Have To Cut Some Branches To Have A Healthy Tree

Saturday my friend, and fellow Bottle Cap Tree Crew Member, Lori came up for the afternoon for lunch and Bottle Cap Tree assessment. It was a good day of really, truly looking at the Tree and assessing all of the weak areas and brainstorming ways to make certain that the Bottle Cap Tree is playa ready.

I had to make some tough decisions. I knew that before she even arrived, though. The two exterior branches were just an impossibility to keep. They could barely withstand a mild wind in my backyard, let alone 90 MPH winds that may or may not be present at Burning Man. So, it was really a long time coming to say "adios" to those branches. I took them down and they will not be back.

Keep It Simple Stupid. Or so the saying goes. And I think it applies very well to my project for Burning Man. I wanted so badly to have these awesomely large branches covered in bottle caps and stretching outwards. But it is just not meant to be.

We also came up with ideas on how to keep the skinnier branches from breaking off, or at least if they do break not to go flying away. And we worked out a solution to get the center section of the tree to be more stable.

So, now I am beginning to embark on the last minute scramble to get this thing Done. I spent most of today working on keeping the mid-section of the tree from wobbling back and forth. It came down to a series of strategically placed (aka where I could fit them) brackets that secure the mid and top sections of the tree to the bottom trunk.

Ugh. Things always take longer then I think they will. I was hoping to so much more today but it got hot and I got really tired. Eric and I are going to do a little more work tonight, though. And then I'll be ready to have my assistants/friends come over on Thursday and Friday for some marathon cap application sessions.

Oh please, oh please let this all work out. And be over soon. I am going crazy. And I think I am driving my husband and dog crazy, too ('cause I'm such a basket case)!!

Website of the Day: Burning Man 2007 Green Man Pavilion

Check out all of the cool art and installations that will be around the Man including the Mangrove where the Bottle Cap Tree will be.

Back To The Same Old, Same Old

I just got back from Colorado yesterday afternoon and it's already starting. The anxiety, I mean. I am beginning to feel a little freaked out again about the Bottle Cap Tree and about Burning Man. But I am totally excited, too. Really. I am.

It's just that the worries that I had before I left for Marble were still here when I got back. Dang. Wish they would have magically disappeared. It was so nice to forget about everything except for where I was, in the moment and carving marble. It was a great time, as always, but way too short. I have really gotten used to staying for two sessions instead of one and the time just flew by.

But there is absolutely no way I could have stayed longer this year. Not with my job at the winery and all that I still need to do related to the tree. I had this long list of stuff to do today and I got most of it done but I just feel so out of control and nervous that it made the day very anxious. Mostly I just spent time unloading the truck, cleaning things up, reorganizing myself and getting geared up for finishing the tree.

I am actually really looking forward to this whole ordeal being over. I still can't believe I got myself into this situation. What was I thinking? A first-time Burner installing art on the playa. And not just anywhere - it will be at the base of the Man. Where everyone can see it. Yikes! What if it sucks? What if it breaks? What if, what if, what if?

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have figured out what I am going to do with myself in regards to my art once Burning Man is over. I am going to hand carve alabaster in my backyard. I am just so enthralled and inspired by the forms that I find on the beach. I really want to spend time carving stone. I have decided to step back and carve by hand because it's a slower process for carving and I think it's appropriate given how much time it takes for these forms that I find to become what they are.

I came home from Colorado with seven pieces of alabaster and some new hand tools (and a lighter pocket book). But I am so very excited to get started. It will be interesting working at home again, though. I hope it is not too distracting, being at home I mean. However, working here and leaving my studio will save me a lot of money. I am just not using my studio enough anymore to justify the cost. So, I plan to move out in September.

Hopefully this all won't interfere with Eric's work at home but we've talked about it and it should be fine. Hand carving is not nearly as noisy as air and electric. Though I will need to do some of that when I finish the sculpture I just started in Marble.

I am really pleased with that piece actually. The form came out very fast and easily. I didn't go as far with the finishing work as I could have while there but this year was different from previous years. One of the instructors at MARBLE/marble, Roger Seal, passed away in January. He was someone that, during the years I have been attending, I became very close to. He was a dear man and a good friend. There was a service this year for him as his ashes were placed in a memorial garden created in his honor. It was a sad and moving experience for me.

As a result of all of that I carved less than I normally do; I only worked about 5 of the 8 work days. But to me enjoying my surroundings, spending time with close friends that I do not get to see very often and honoring Roger's memory were more important to me. The stone will be waiting for me to finish in September but those moments would not be.

Anyway, the stone I selected is really nice. It was the second block I looked at and instinctively I just knew it was perfect for this sculpture. At first I didn't believe that. It can't be that easy. I'm supposed to look all over the place for my stone. But deep down I knew it was the right one and so I just had faith and took it. I think that this sculpture is going to finish up beautifully.

I need to put all that in the back of my head, though. I can't get distracted on the next project. I must stay focused right now on the tree. It's hard not letting my anxiety get the better of me. It will all turn out alright. I'm sure of it. I think.

Spam Philosophy of the Day: The future is made of the same stuff as the present.

Great. So, I think this means that all the worries I have right now about my art are just going to carry forward to the next project and the next project and the next project...... I'm so glad I decided to be an artist.

Pack Up Your Troubles. C'mon, Get Happy!

Wow. I can't believe it's July!I really have no idea where June went. It's been a busy summer so far. Lots of work time but lots of fun time, too.

I realize I have been totally MIA on the blog posting lately. But what can I say besides, I Have a Life. Not that I am implying that people who are able to regularly post to their blogs are losers with lots of free time on their hands, just that I haven't had much time recently to just sit at the computer and write stuff down.

Right now I feel swamped. I just do not have enough time in the day to do all the things I need/want to do. I am starting to feel like I am losing a bit of control. I hate that.

Basically, I have been working like crazy on the tree and starting to feel really, really nervous about taking it to Burning Man. My biggest fear used to be that I would not have enough caps to cover the whole thing. But that fear was laid to rest when my mom visited and brought with her 5000+ metal and plastic caps. That, coupled with the fact that I totally over-estimated the number of metal crown caps I would need to cover the lower trunk, made me realize I will have plenty of caps to cover all the rest of the tree and branches. Whew.

Actually, Monday of last week I had a cap application marathon. I wanted to get the whole trunk base covered before I went to Colorado (I leave tomorrow). Took me about 8 hours but I did it. And the lights are incorporated too. So, that is done. What a relief. It took a total of 1,377 caps to cover the surface area.

Anyway, all the rest of the branches need to be covered which is going to take a lot of work but I've got three assistants coming over at the end of the month and we are gonna go to town. I know I'll get the tree finished, especially with their help. This is also not my biggest fear.

My biggest fear, what keeps me up at night, is that my construction techniques making this tree totally suck. I am worried that the tree will not be able to withstand the wind on the playa and it will break. I'm really sensitive to the fact that this thing is just not put together terrible well. I am just making it up as I go along. If it was just going to hang out in my yard or indoors somewhere it would do great. Burning Man? Now that's a whole other situation. It's making me afraid to take this thing out there. I just need to stay strong, keep trying to reinforce weak areas, and hope for the best.

Anyway, I have to put that aside for now and concentrate on packing for Marble. Hopefully, while I am there I can just focus on my stone carving, give my troubled mind a rest, then come back at the end of the month and do what I need to do to finish the Bottle Cap Tree and pull this whole thing off. I'll really feel a lot better when this is all over. I think I say that about every art project I do and it always works out in the end. So, it's cool. Yeah, right.....

Tree Image Update of the Day: Click here to see an image of the Bottle Cap Tree taken on July 4th.