Cherry Blossom, Open Edition

Much of my late fall and early winter are spent designing new pieces for the upcoming season. The American Craft Council show in Baltimore in February is typically when I have my first chance to unveil my new designs. Cherry Blossom was the premiere piece and show special for ACC Baltimore 2012, (much like 3 Crows in a Tree was for ACC in 2011). I am happy to say it was received with much enthusiasm and cheer. In a timely turn, 2012 happened to be the centennial anniversary of the gift of the Cherry Blossom trees to Washington, D.C. from Japan.
This sculpture evolved naturally from a couple of earlier designs. It is a sister piece to Olive Branch and features many common threads with it; the branch, the enclosed circle with a bird, and the combination of Cor-Ten & Stainless steel. I was also influenced by Flower Tower and initially wanted to incorporate glass flowers once again into one of my sculptures. For my prototype, I used the Stainless flowers and I am happy with the way they play off the Cor-Ten, but I may revisit my original plans in the future and usesome of Scott Johnson’s pink glass flowers to give it a different impact and really emphasize the pink blossoms of the Cherry trees.
Cherry Blossom also has some visual interest that sets it apart. When viewed straight on, it looks like a rectangle, but, it actually has a diamond shape to it. The sides are tapered out in opposite directions of each other. This gives the viewer a changing image as they circle the sculpture. It is a subtle effect that I feel adds much to the piece both in imagery and in complexity. I used the cardinal from Retro Trees because it offers a friendly, familiar, and cheerful addition to the piece.