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| Detail from the assemblage described below |
We had friends from Virginia visit for a week and managed to fit a lot into a very short time. The fun part wasn't just showing them around places we love, it was taking time to discover new places for ourselves, too.
One of those new places was Art on 12, a gallery in Wimberley that had escaped our notice until recently. As we wandered through, Gary overheard someone describing a project that involved decorating a Masonite boot cutout for a Blanco River Monument fundraiser. He later suggested to Don that one of his assemblages would be a perfect fit, a notion seconded by Martha and me.
On my next trip in to Wimberley this past Monday, I picked up a boot and asked when the finished product was due. "Thursday" was the answer. "This Thursday?" I squeaked.
Yikes.
Fortunately, Don was up to the challenge. He took some gnarly metal that we bought years ago from By the Bridge, the same antique store that got wiped out by the Halloween flood last month. After cutting the metal in the shape of the boot, he then cut away the paths of Cypress Creek and the Blanco River ...
The shops in Wimberley Square were represented by a wooden nine-patch,
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including two broken pieces representing the buildings destroyed in the flood ...
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| Note: the panorama photo warped the actual view, but By the Bridge is on the far right |
He even replicated the signs that stand at the entrances to the town ...
It was nip and tuck, but the finished piece ...
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| By the Bridges |
made it to the community center on time. And tonight we attended the artists' reception, where we discovered three silent auction bids had already been placed on Don's boot ...
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Pretty cool.
All right!! Don's boot is a kick and I'm sure Wimberley appreciates the support.
ReplyDeleteThank you ... I do love a good play on words. And it's very gratifying to do some thing substantive in the face of loss.
DeleteThis is just full of heart and here's why: the curve of the toe on the boot says that we just put one foot in front of the other and rise to the challenges, this is not a flat footed boot, it is a strong,"kick" on going boot. The star at the top, well of course, it's Texas after all but I like to think of Don's star as community spirit. The blue of the river as well as representing Wimberley businesses could not have been a more perfect color choice. Blue for the flow of devastating water but blue also for hope and renewal. Lastly, and to me the most touching, is the fact that the boot comes from metal from By the Bridge. A more perfect connecting choice could not have been chosen because it truly shows how we come together to reach out and help our neighbors. Don this is just a wonderful tribute.
ReplyDeleteMarti, thank you for this eloquent comment. It reminded me that I didn't say what Don named the boot: "By the Bridges" for the lives lost on the Blanco River (for which the monument is being built) and our friend Jill's loss of her livelihood beside the Cypress Creek bridge.
DeleteYou're right, Liz. That boot really is pretty cool -so inspiring with the way he placed the tiles to represent the shops and replicating the welcome sign. It's all so heartfelt. The pieces you both make are so full of creativity and heart - just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan ... we can't undo what is done, but I love the fact that the "Wimberley Strong" flag (made in response to the Memorial Day flood) was still hanging on the porch of Jill's store after the Halloween Eve flood.
Deletelove this! a wooden nine!
ReplyDeleteAnd the broken blocks just happened to be in the "pantry" that is Don's workshop
Deletethis is so Texas !
ReplyDeleteIn so many ways ... but most of all in its big-heartedness, where neighbors who can help neighbors in need.
Deleteit couldn't have been envisioned more perfectly....just GREAT.....
ReplyDeleteSo much creative energy ... much for which to be grateful, even (or perhaps especially) in the face of loss
DeleteVERY cool! congrats to Don. Marking loss with art -- perfect.
ReplyDeleteAh, and you of all people understand this so well
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