Having the opportunity to spend time on this beautiful land has brought forth many ideas.  We settled on four of them.  The ideas evolved and changed over these last months with the spark created by working with the other artists and the encouragement of Shannon Amidon, who lives on and stewards this land.  And, like any art project, ideas change when you get in the middle of it and find aspects that don’t work as planned.  This is a joyful part of the experience of working with Nature and these artists are quite comfortable with it.

At the top of one of the entrances to Terra Incognita, they have created a cedar “cave” to enclose a large Obsidian Windchime, designed and made just for this land art exhibit. The cedar has been collected on this land.   Deborah collected the driftwood on the coast in the Redwoods of northern California.  Richard hand-dug the volcanic obsidian shards in northeastern California and central Oregon.  You are invited to gently play the chime: close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it sink into your bones as you begin the tour!

Heading downhill to the “looking glass”, you can view one of the wonderful painted eyes by Erica Gibson.  Look just right, and the devils claw sphere is part of the eyeball, a collaboration between the three artists.  (Keep going to view more of the eye forest.)

Devils Claw is the seedpod we are using throughout Terra Incognita.  Also known as Proboscidea lutea or Ibibella lutea, they grow in the sunny and dry regions of California and Arizona (and have also been grown in the Bloom’s southeast Portland garden!)  This variety is native to South America, but has become established as a non-native species in various semi-arid regions around the world.  The pods are often used in Navajo basket making, as they are known for their strong fibers.  The artists use them both sculpturally and functionally in their work and it a favorite plant.

Large spheres of Proboscidea grace a trail leading down to the creek.  Once you arrive at the creek, step on to the creek bank trail to view Richard’s “flow” of volcanic obsidian needles in the creek bed, lined with river rocks found on the land.  For more information on obsidian needles, visit their website.

Heading over toward the large sculpture by Benjamin Mefford, you will walk through a large Devils Claw gateway, woven together by Deborah and Richard between two trees on either side of the trail.  This was definitely a labor of love!  In the early stages of this project, Richard broke his arm at home and had limited mobility for a couple of months.  After we completed the gateway, we found it attracted birds and other critters, who re-arranged some of the seedpods.  OK, another collaboration!

Thanks for coming out for Terra Incognita.  We hope you enjoy and are inspired, as we are.