June 8, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day "Northern Leopard Frog"

After a very busy Sunfest weekend I thought I would throw on a sculpture for todays feature that I see every single day when I go to the gym. “Northern Leopard Frog” is an impressive sculpture that scales the wall of Peak Physique on Columbia Avenue in Castlegar.

Kevin Kratz & James Karthein are the masterminds behind “Northern Leopard Frog” and another one of their works was named Peoples Choice Award Winner in 2012 and is permanently displayed in Castlegar as a result. You may have seen it, it is called “Patient Hunter” and it is a large blue heron on standing on a pier. It has become iconic in Castlegar and is used often in our towns marketing photos. 

Much like the heron the “Northern Leopard Frog” is a large sculpture, it nearly takes up the entire wall outside Peak Physique. The detail is incredible on this metal work sculpture, as you can see in comparison with the actual northern leopard frog pictured here.

I am very excited that this my fourth sculpture feature blog is another incredible piece from British Columbia. “Northern Leopard Frog” was crafted in Krestova! 

Thank you to Dr. James Singer and his family for sponsoring "Northern Leopard Frog" and being part of the beautification of Downtown Castlegar!  

For more about Kevin Kratz & James Karthein's "Northern Leopard Frog" click here. 

For my previous blog about Castlegar Sculpture Walk's “Eye of the Wind” click here.

June 6, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day "Eye the Wind"

Castlegar is the place to be this weekend for Sunfest! While you are visiting make sure you take in the Castlegar Sculpture Walk. Today I am featuring the third piece in my blog series on the amazing artwork that is lining our streets this summer.

Today’s piece is quite a bit smaller than the other works I have documented on my slow winding walk around Castlegar. It is Dee Clements’ “Eye the Wind”. It is located on the corner of 3^rd Street and 11^th Avenue and just a short walk from Mountain FM.

After two gigantic sculptures I wanted to showcase a smaller work. “Eye the Wind” is a very intricate work that cannot be fully appreciated with one photo. It depicts the intensity of windsurfing and the incredible amount of strength required to successful harness the wind.

Big thanks to Columbia Basin Trust for sponsoring this work brought to us from Dee Clements in Loveland, Colorado. So far I have only blogged about BC sculptures so it is nice to have a little international flare for Blog #3!

For more on Dee Clements and “Eye the Wind” click here. 

For my previous blog about "What the Nose Knows" click here.

June 5, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day "What The Nose Knows"

Despite the dark clouds hanging over other parts of our wonderful country today it was a gorgeous morning in Castlegar. It turned into a beautiful day, we surpassed the high for today early and right now as I type this it is 23 degrees at West Kootenay Regional Airport. Despite the warm temperature, sunny skies, new shoes and a fun dress I was feeling very sad this morning due to the events that have happened over the last twenty-four hours in Moncton, New Brunswick. 

I took a little breather before my show today looking for inspiration. I was looking for something light-hearted for my feature today on one of Castlegar's Sculpture Walk pieces, but I was drawn to one of the works that has stuck out to me from day one, "What the Nose Knows." There really isn't much commentary here for this to tie in with the events that made me feel a little gloomy this morning. But, I will mention that this huge piece was one of the first sculptures I noticed this year. I watched it being installed the day of the Sculpture Walk Gala and waited in anticipation to hear its story at the event. 

"What the Nose Knows" is one of the largest sculptures in Castlegar's Sculpture Walk this year. I have heard that it had to point a specific way to avoid starting fires, I'm not sure if this is just an hilarious story or the truth but it seems to make sense.

To be completely honest with you, "What the Nose Knows" reminds me of the Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's billboard mentioned in The Great Gatsby, maybe that is just a personal thing. 

Anyways, I will exhibit a little bias here and tell you that his is one of my favourite pieces this year. I know, it is only the second sculpture in my blog series but it has stood out to me from the moment I saw it. It is visually striking, fun and most importantly it makes you think. The artist Ron Simmer's commentary from The Castlegar Sculpture Walk website describes it best:

He decries the “nosiness” of government and corporations for their relentless accumulation of data, and their reluctance to provide it freely to the individuals whose information it is. In light of the intrusive actions of spy agencies like the NSA and CSEC in their collection of metadata using highly questionable methods and rationale in doing so, it is a prescient comment. (From the Castlegar Sculpture Walk Website)

How can I top that? Simple, I cannot. Thank you Ron Simmer for "What the Nose Knows" it is one of the most unique pieces that I have seen on the walk and I am so happy it was my feature on this rough day.  

For more about "What the Nose Knows" and Ron Simmer click here.

To check out my previous feature on "Sphere of Influence" click here. 

I was a little busy Wednesday with Tim Hortons Camp Day so I skipped a day of sculpture posts, number three will be up tomorrow for sure! 

Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sandsations

If you are in Castlegar you need to go down to Pioneer Arena and check out the amazing sand sculptures produced in this years Castlegar Sculpture Walk: Sandsations walk.

They are amazing! I look at them and envy the skill used to make such incredible mounds of art. I kept an eye on the process a couple of weekends ago when the artists were creating their works and the process is simply extraordinary.

Growing up on the East Coast (in Nova Scotia) I never was even able to work out the process to make the perfect sandcastle with a mold. I cannot imagine the time, effort and skill used to make these masterpieces.

I have never seen sand made into art in such an impressive fashion. I saw some incredible pieces of work while in Nelson in Canada Day too, does everyone in the Kootenays know the secret to sandsculpting?

John McKinnon, Peter Vogelaar, Denis Kleine and David Ducharme know the sand secret, that is for sure. They have mastered this year's theme 'Fairy Tales', each work is an adventure into another world where the mystical and magical can happen. You must make a trip down to Pioneer Arena and see these incredible pieces of art this summer!