Thin Places

Thin Places are those personal spaces that we find particularly moving and transcendent, where we seem to stand on the threshold to the infinite. Occupying a thin place is an individual experience. We each have our own.

The project described here is a commission to create art on the fireplace wall in a home located on the shores of the harbor in Marion, Massachusetts. In discussions with the owners I understood that the property is their Thin Place. They are especially connected to the land and sea through the wildlife all around them, so we decided to express their intimate relationship with area through wildlife scupture.

Three wall sculptures will be created on their fireplace wall. Over the mantel will be a Great Blue Heron posed in flight. On the adjoining walls will be sculptures of a Loggerhead sea turtle and a Red Fox. The images below show my progress.

A computer generated concept image showing the overall plan.

The 4" slab of South Ameridan Mahogany for the Blue Heron.

The Completed Blue Heron

Test fit of herom, turtle maquette, and plan for fox on wall of home still under construction.

Final version of Loggerhead turtle being glued up in Butternut wood.

With rough shaping of shell and rear fins completed, now moving on to shaping the head.

The completed Turtle

And now the fox. Early stage of maquette in poplar wood

Fox maquette nearing completion