Lubec Springs to Life

I just completed another set of columns based on factory ruins of Lubec. Creating different arrangements with the individual components has enlightened me to the difference between how the ruins "feel" vs. how they "look". The above example illustrates what I feel when I stand at the ruins of the old Columbian Factory.

 

 

 Columbian Factory ruins, Lubec, Maine

 

 

 

"Rubble"

This is how I "see" the ruins.

 

 

 "Guardians"

Surface texture translated from my "Water, Wind, and Time" drawing series that focuses on details from the factory ruins. To view some of the drawings, click here.

 

The image that inspired "Guardians".

The old pilings that emerge from the sand and seaweed look and feel like keepers of the ruins.

 

 

Bouli has a thing for the camera. As soon as the photo lights turn on she hops onto the staging and starts flashing those baby blues. I'm starting to think that she might have a career in product advertisement.

 

 I'm still working on the Bay of Fundy Marathon and 10k awards. These are the 10K awards, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, for men and women. I'm closing on the finish line....so to say. 

 

 

 The 10k and marathon medallions are now in production. I had thought I would work from a mold but decided that I prefer the handcarved look....so I am now handcarving each of the eighty-four medallions. I have my work "carved" out for me!

 

 

 

 Herring Collectors Series platter, fresh from the fire last week.

 

Spring has finally sprung in Lubec. Warm days with penetrating sun, green grass, leaf buds, and daffodils grace us. The critters are coming out en masse and our yard has been playing host to all kinds of species. The porcupine seems to have found a place in our family and the deer graze on the fresh greens awaiting the arrival of our garden. Eagles and osprey fly overhead while Blue Jays take to the tree tops. The pileated woodpecker has been drumming on one of the birches, a rhythm much deeper and louder than the downy which normally claims the decaying trunks.

 

Another signal of springtime in Lubec is the return of people who scattered to warmer climates during the winter. Those who dared to face the snow and wind here on the peninsula emerge from their dens to once again be social. The market is a bit busier and the downtown shops and restaurants show signs of opening. My dream a few nights ago of the big brown bear is sort of how I think of us here. There is a deep and rejuvenating sleep in this little town in preparation for the highly contrasted alertness of the warmer months. The segue is gradual at first with thick fog banks enveloping the shoreline, but eventually sun breaks through.

 

We moved here almost twelve years ago with the plan to stay only one year. Lubec was supposed to be a transition point for us, but instead, fate found us setting up house on a permanent basis. The journey has been trying at times, but hindsight is always 20/20 they say. I am thankful for the alignment of various events and people that brought us here and feel incredibly blessed to call this tiny seaside village "home".

 

Before we moved here, Chris' grandfather would say to us that Lubec was "the perfect place for an artist and a writer." When we arrived on that late August day in 2001 to what appeared to be a ghost town of sorts, I couldn't find the wisdom in Richard's words. But now, yes, I recognize just how very insightful, and prophetic, his words were.

 

We moved to a town that was in transition, suffering the loss of a factory industry that had allowed it to, at one time, prosper immensely.  Now, almost twelve years later, there is a renaissance occurring. The streets are again filling with people and businesses are opening. Lubec has become a tourist destination to people from all over. This once-sleepy little town has been "found-out" by musicians, artists, writers, and organic farmers who revel (in a sort of introverted way) in its humble beauty.

 

At one time I used to joke that our "big night out" was a ride around town to watch the sun set over the bay. Now there are so many things happening in this region that one cannot even begin to take it all in, from theater, to musical performances, to art openings, to community-hosted potlucks, movies, and hikes. There is no greater backdrop than the majestic bold coast where we live.

 

Lubec Market re-opens mid June, the marathon soon follows, and festival planning is in place. Lubec Arts Alive is in the thick of designing the early July event and for me personally, the prep has begun for "pottery season". I am juggling production for fairs and shops while trying to wrap up the awards for the marathon.

 

I am so excited to announce that it is official - Lubec is one of the sites selected for the 2014 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium (SISS)! You'll be hearing lots more about that as time progresses toward the event. For the short term, when enjoying the marathon festivities downtown on June 23rd, be sure to visit the Strawberry Moon Shortcake booth to enjoy some yummy fresh eats while learning about the SISS project. This is our first fundraiser for the stone sculpture that will soon grace our town and put us "on the map." Be sure to stop by!