Hobble Creek Park-update

Wahoo; the proposal passed the 1st approval round :) This is one I was the most worried about... The project still has to be approved by a bunch of other committees; I wont get final approval until sometime in April, but its looking good :)

I'm really excited about seeing this one in real life; its a giant weather vane that will be over 25 feet tall. It will move with the wind & also have a wind speed indicator on the top that will spin any time there is a breeze.

Steel, copper, & stainless steel, with a few gears, cables, & lots of nuts & bolts; it's going to be very whimsical, but made out of industrial materials.... For now, it's a waiting game until we have final approval--I'll be scouring the scrap yards for big pieces of steel plate, stainless, & copper sheet: these are hard to find in big pieces, but I'm hoping to be able to use all scrap material on this one: even if I have to use small pieces & join them together...

In other news, we met with Parametrix this week to talk about the new Julius Kliener Park; it's going to be at the corner of Fairview & Eagle Rd: 61 acres of beautifully designed park: with a library, walking paths, water features, and much more. I was selected to design the 3 landmark pieces that will help guide visitors through the park: each element to be at least 30 feet tall! This project is just getting under way; so I'm really looking forward to being involved in the whole process of constructing a park like this; it should be really interesting to learn about the process & work with the other contractors involved. Will upload concept pics as soon as I have them :)

For now, it's a beatiful spring day; I'm going to be cleaning out the workspace & working on the garden. Later tonight, we are going to go meet with ISE Crane Services to talk about both of these projects; then off to take down the grain silo I scored last week....busy, busy, but its all good :)

Amber

Hobble Creek Park, part 2

Sneak peek--this is the design I came up with for Hobble Creek Park--a giant weather vane :) I still have to finish up the last details of my proposal today, then turn it in for approval; the whole process will probably take about a month, then we can hopefully start fabrication---if it gets approval.... We shall see; would love to build this one; it will be made of steel, with accents of polished stainless, copper, & brass. It will turn in the wind, & also has a small wind speed thing on top that will spin....

Will upload the complete proposal later; for now: I'm off to Parametrix to talk about the Obelisks for Julius Kliener Park: this is the first meet & greet: should be fun :)
Later....

Guess What I Just Bought...

Even better than a pair of new jeans, :) I'm so excited to be the proud new owner of an old, rusty, grain silo! And...a corn dryer silo too! Whilst driving home from Kuna the other night (we were out visiting our Engineer friend) Kevin spotted this old farm with a bunch of old trucks: as usual, he slammed on the brakes, did a u-turn, & pulled into the driveway (all to my protests that some crazy old guy with a big gun was going to greet him at the door one of these days). Actually, we were greeted by a sweet grand-motherly lady with a cute dog--she laughed & said she knew nothing about the trucks, so call her husband: who was up in Idaho City at the moment....

Since we were there, one couldn't help but notice the old silos sitting out front.... So, Kevin called up Darrell later on, & set a time to come to come out & visit, talk trucks, & look around. He also inquired about the silos: knowing full well that I have wanted one for a garden shed, like forever...

Last night, we showed up & got a tour of the old farm; Darrell & his wife used to run a dairy: most of the farm land was sold years ago, but they kept one acre with the old house, shop, & some outbuildings. Turns out that none of the trucks had the parts Kevin was looking for, but we did make a deal on the grain silos! The smaller enclosed silo will be converted into a garden shed: so cute...And the corn silo: I have a few ideas floating around for a temporary public art project: the city of Boise is going to be sponsoring some eco-art projects later this spring, & I think this silo could be the basis for my proposal :) Later on, it will make a lovely garden structure; perfect for growing vines on.... So, tonight we will go back to the farm & make a plan for moving the two buildings: they both come apart easily into lightweight pieces, & should be fairly easy to move (we'll see). Another fun project for spring--cant wait!

Amber

Sunday Sunset...

On Robinson Road; just outside of Nampa; the perfect end to a lovely sping Sunday....

Frist Friday: the Review...

Thanks everyone, for coming out last night to First Friday :) It was a lovely spring evening, & I really enjoyed chatting & catching up with everyone! The new jewelry collection was a hit!! This was the first time I had it on display, & everyone seemed to really enjoy the more girley, romantic feel of the pieces & the stories behind the materials... It was lots of fun helping all the ladies try on the different pieces to see what they looked like on :) The old keys were popular, as always...Along with the chandelier crystals from Italy :)The collection will be on display throughout the month, so if you didn't make it in last night, you can still check it out. See my last post for directions to Galerie Belle Ame... Thanks again, everyone for a lovely party.
Until next time....

Amber

First Friday; tonight in Eagle

Please Join Us...
First Friday in Eagle, March 5th: 5--9 pm
Stop in at Galerie Belle Ame to see a collection of my large outdoor sculpture, including the Machine, Serenity, & a cute new piece I like to call Mohawk. There is quite a collection: eight unique pieces; one that stands 15 feet tall!

I'll also be introducing a new line of jewelry; combining industrial hardware with romance.... Materials include light bulbs, pearls rhinestones, bits & pieces of old jewelry, fuses, gears, clockworks, & some very special chandelier crystals that I brought back from Italy... I'll be there all evening with Kevin to visit: stop in & say hi--we have lots of big projects coming up & exciting news to share: so come enjoy a glass of wine with us!!
Galerie Belle Ame is located at 179 South Eagle Road, parking is available at Albertsons across the street.
Hope to see you there!!
Amber

The Junk-Finding Adventure

The junking trip was a lot of fun; here's some pics from the adventure...On the way towards Pocatello; the wind farm out by Mountain Home; so cool :)

And, in Blackfoot; looking at old trucks. Kevin was searching for some parts for the big truck we just bought. We were there for hours, wandering about & chatting with the owner: husband has a great time, & I got to catch up on some reading :) After an old-fashion eggs breakfast, we hit the road again for Ogden, UTAnd arrived at Smith & Edwards around 2 in the afternoon.... OMG: what a store! It's huge; they have all kinds of stuff; surplus, home goods, clothes, shoes, camping stuff, & lots more....We wandered around inside for hours & picked up quite a few good treasures; I got some cool spats & other military accessories in the surplus section, Kevin got some nice new boots, also got an assortment of old fashion candy, some cool containers, giant canning jars, & some misc metal oddities...and a bunch of other stuffs.

And then, we wandered through the yard outside: acres & acres of junk...it was really cool! It goes on forever; really--we could spend a whole day there & probably not see everything. Next time, will have to bring the truck & trailer!

These are carbon-fiber stand things; very unique & cool; but since they were like 12 feet wide, we couldn't fit them in the car...

Some big steel things; 6 feet tall....oh the possibilities....

Old steel tank; I like the photo...Me, out in the yard :)Most of the stuff out in the yard was too big to bring home, but we did score some really nifty turnbuckles; will definitely be able to put them to good use :)

After gathering all our loot, we drove into Ogden & had a nice dinner at a cute little brewery in old downtown. We toasted the success of the journey, & vowed to come back again sometime soon with a bigger vehicle :)

The next morning, we were on the road early: back to work & more fun projects.

The end...