We Got Cows - Twister - 1996

 As time waned on my desire to communicate with others, both personal and online, waned as well.  Like an early spring breeze breathes life back into the world, seeing engagement of others has helped lift the gray of covid winter.  My hope is that it will quietly recede into the medical depths of normalcy but if not at least we are better adapted for what may come.

On to personal engagement...

New ideas have been in full flow with the reemergence of longer brighter days.  With the fleeting light of winter I hunker down with yarn and a cozy blanket but flower blooms and sunny warmth sends me outside where I work with other mediums.  This season has led me to creating hanging art mobiles.  It actually started in the winter gloom, creating a Twister movie themed one for my son.  This is one of his favorites, being way, way too young to watch and actually a bit traumatized until a close tornadic call in an open shelter at Boy Scout camp brought ideas of storm chasing into his forethought.  

My first completed mobile was made with a coke can, wire and string, experimenting with the process.  It flows as it should, easily in the breeze. I got this!  Now let's make one that does not follow traditional rules. Do I have this?? For those who have not seen this cinematic masterpiece ( I jest, there is no sitting on the fence with this one.  You either love it or hate it) there is a scene where cows are flying through the air.  This was my starting point.  I wanted the cows to look erratic, out of balance, as they should in the middle of a tornado, but after many unsuccessful drafts, continuing to prove to myself that drawing is not my strong suit, I ended up with very stoic, pasture grazing cows.  In the end I was just glad they looked like cows.  Next off to the wire wind vortices which came about with much more ease.  Again, taken from the movie was the addition of a car being swept away, as this was a pivotal scene.   Up into our small, full attic I go in search of one 4 x 6 inch box containing Micro Machines (there is a very small portable world full of cars and other transports vehicles which my son was gifted, bribed, when needed), finding one that was a perfect fit if not the right color.  A little spray paint and touch up with a sharpie, the hot pink hot rod was transformed.  Parts pre-assembled and looking great laying flat on the workspace, whooo, this is awesome.  Hum, huummmm, hum...having only made the one now I am in a quandary how to proceed.  I now needed to think through the weight counterbalance to make this work.  I left it on the worktable enjoying the awesomeness while being mocked by indecision until the solution of fishing weights woke me up one morning.  Having a stash of these I was able to adjust the length of wire and size of weight until the storm blew as I had thought it would.  

He loved it and all was right in the world.

I hope this season of sunshine and warmth finds you happy and healthy.

Peace,

Hilari