Things look different from a bird’s eye view, don’t they? People look smaller from up in the air when jet streams catch feathered wings and carry them aloft to new perches. We, as humans, are always out to find the next best thing to make our lives better, but I have a feeling, so are our feathered friends. Hopping from branch to branch, cocking heads, and calling out notes to one another, these birds are always on the move, always testing out new places.
So it was only natural that they should try out Kevin Robb’s sculpture “Chop Sticks,” on display as part of the Unbound: Sculpture in the Field exhibit at the Arvada Center. And, apparently they spent quite some time on this strange stainless steel tree, as evidenced by the large amount of droppings coating the creation. Thanks are in order to a personal friend that lives close by for taking it upon herself to clean off such additions to Kevin’s art.
But then, don’t we stop to think and enjoy the view when we find a good perch, ourselves? The adventurous young climber tests out limbs until he makes it to the top and enjoys a victorious surveillance of his new realm, and the unhurried hiker looks for a place to rest and listen to the wind in the leaves, or, the whispers of the heart.
Good art moves our minds to leave our bodies behind in flights of imagination and intellect. They provide places to perch while our thoughts are elsewhere, roaming the world in search of truth, the best home for our souls.
But, thankfully, we don’t need to leave behind fecal matter to show our appreciation for such wonders.
Guest blogger Sarah Ampleman

"Chop Sticks" / 7’4” in height / Stainless Steel
“Chop Sticks” /
7’4” in height /
Stainless Steel