Backroad Art

My longest post yet..................


I've always love traveling the backroads. I find them soothing and adventurous. Give me the backroads to get to someplace, and that's the way I'll make time for. My dad would always have his eyes on the road and on the world around us when we drove together. I think of my dad each time I point out hawk and deer to my kids, just as he would, in the middle of a conversation, just to let us know there was s a whole world outside of ours.

That being said, I'm always watching the whole world. Last December (2008) I came across an unusual site outside my car window. I remember the first time I saw this, I thought it was junk.
It wasn't really noticeable at first.
But, traveling the same backroad every day, I was able to focus a little better each time I drove by.

It started with this. Whizzing by at 50 MPH you might not notice these guys.



Then one day I stopped and really looked at what I whizzed by every morning. The first piece was obvious.

I drove a little further to take a good look at the next piece. So now I'm giggling inside to think that there was someone out there who was obviously using roadside items to create art.


Was it a fluke? At the time I thought it was.


For weeks I drove that road. These little treasures were there to great me every ride south.












This piece I passed several times not being able to figure out what it was. For days I drove past this thinking, "what's it suppose to be?" I needed a northern perspective to see the hawk soring in the air. I moved it to make this photograph. The next day, it was moved back to it's original position......so now I knew that someone was out there watching these pieces.


So, who is this artist?
I knew it was not just some random junk pieced together.

One day they were all gone.

I regretted not stopping to photograph the mini cows that for so long just looked like metal placed on a cement ring.

Granted, there was some "construction" going on. In my mind, I assumed the company in charge of the "construction", took these pieces of art as junk and hauled them away. Inside I was sad to see the roadside art gone, especially the VCR guy....that one always made me smile.

That was December.

Months later I happened to be on the parallel freeway and noticed another piece of similar style of sculpture out of the corner of my eye. It was not safe to photograph it, but I knew it was the same artist. It was a giant praying mantis looking sculpture. I became hopeful more would show up.

Another road provided a placement for this beauty.

Did anyone else notice this?
Was I the only one who really picked up on this art display?
The pieces were placed in such random spots along busy roads that I wondered if they were there for the amusement of the passenger.





This was taken in April '09.

Since then, I've watched.
I've waited.
I'm not one to watch the TV, so if this is already a famous artist, I have not heard the news yet.

There were some cows in the late spring...I did not successfully photograph them to my liking.











Then nothing.
Till this week.

My daughter thinks I'm crazy stopping to photograph roadside art, but she's ten and knows nothing about life and stopping to smell the roses.

Last week I just happened to be on the same backroad and noticed these. I cracked up! They were there all along....just trying not to be seen.





My daughter was not impressed and decided to disassociate herself from me.


My Dad will love the fish along the road.
I'm enjoying the mystery of it all.