BioMythic Masks

Peering through the darkness, they see human faces staring at them. People look closely at all the fine details adorning their features. Each of them has a distinct expression: quizzical, relaxed, letting out an endless breath. These masks far surpass the splendor of Mardi Gras masks, or those found on Cirque de Soleil acrobats. They have a realness that the "Do Not Touch" sign cannot prevent you from feeling because they encompass the essence of an entire landscape, emanating the lore of cultures and biological cycles existing in that habitat.

Gwynn Popovac spent up to three years creating these masks. In what must have been a sacred act, she spent meticulous hours adding braided threads, stones, shells, gems, beads, and woven grasses to plaster molds. Even the inside of the masks are finely finished with satin fabrics. Made to be worn, it must be a breathtaking experience to place the mask upon your face and turn into a "BioMythical" creature connecting man and nature.

The artwork is currently on exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden and will only be there until January 2, 2011. If you're in the Phoenix area for the next few days it is definitely worth experiencing.

 Falling Water: A Mountain Cascade (2001)

 Shadow: An Underworld Mask (1992)

 Terricon: A Desert Mask (1996)

 Antelope Anima: A Grassland Mask (1990)

 Patience: A Tidepool Mask (1999)

 Thin Ice: An Ice Field Mask (1991)

My mom with "Falling Water"

Me with "Daphne: A Riparian Mask (1994)"

Much Ado With Alpacas

     Chuckanut Drive is an alternate scenic route to Interstate 5 that winds from Skagit valley through Washington countryside, over Salish Sea bridges, offering breathtaking views of the San Juan Islands, and into the town of Fairhaven, Washington. Along the way are various fruit and vegetable stands where you can pick your own produce in season. 

     Best of all, there's Chuckanut Alpaca Ranch where over 50 alpaca's reside. I had the blessing to visit the farm three days after an alpaca was born, and witnessed him sauntering around his very protective mother. The black alpaca baby, called a cria, managed to break free of his mother for a minute to sniff my hand out of curiosity.

    

     The girth of the alpacas in primarily attributed to the length of their fiber. It's surprising how long and fluffy their fiber is, adding an extra downy pillow around their entire bodies. Alpaca fiber (mind you it is not fur or wool) is quite valuable. The owner of the ranch had numerous award winning alpacas whose fiber had been woven into various hats, sweaters and scarves for sale. Now I have a warm, soft alpaca fiber beanie to keep me warm in chilly weather.

 

Happy Holidays everyone!

Dirt Happens

Things degrade. Dust Accumulates. Landscapes erode. Stuff gets destroyed, shattered, broken, dismantled. But from all ruin comes something new. Without destruction there can be no creation. 

Dirt happens, and life continues on.

My friend showed me this deserted lot where all that was left was an abandoned, graffiti-covered bus, a swimming pool saturated with algae, a tower (with an unknown purpose), and an enormous hole with random scraps of rusting metal strewn about. Although the place was wrecked there still existed life and bits of beauty. 

I hope to go back and explore the area more in the future.

How to pay your parking ticket

Harmonizing with his acoustic guitar, Luke, a student at WWU, creates a magnetic attraction in red square to raise money to pay for for his "bullshit parking ticket." He said he got a parking ticket two years ago and tried it. It worked, so now whenever he gets a parking citation he uses his humor and musical talents to solicit donations. He's not scamming people because he only does it when he actually has a ticket to pay. As for the sign, this one is new: "I eat a lot of fruit by the foot, and I had two boxes, so I made a new sign," he said before delving into a new song. On a sunny Friday afternoon Luke manages to collect enough cash to cover his ticket. What a wonderful way to enjoy a hobby, make friends, and provide entertainment.