Oars and paddles are one of the great human innovations of form and function. Some of the earliest examples are from 620 BC. I copper-leafed my first oar in 1991 as a design prop in a presentation to the Olympia City Council for The Park Of The Seven Oars. My team and I completed the park in October 1993 on Harrison St in West Olympia.
The inspiration for The Park of the Seven Oars was a photo of seven women from a 1890s Bigelow family.
After the 2001 earthquake, the park was to be demolished for a road redesign and roundabout. After negotiations with the city, we rebuilt and expanded the park across the street with a better view in 2003. It is listed in The Smithsonian Directory Of Public Art in the U.S.
The Summer of 2023 Oar Project
This body of work represents a personal achievement. Not because it's a new subject but a new beginning. It's the first "art" I have made since I closed my studio in downtown Olympia two years ago (after forty-nine years) and relocated to a studio I built at my home at Summit Lake.
I often use recycled, found, or gifted oars, copper, metal leaf, aluminum, acrylic, and various hardware.
"The object isn't to make art; it's to be in that wonderful state that makes art inevitable."