A Rookery Of Tredknests

Well, as I mentioned, I've really had a blast developing a brood of different subspecies of tredknots, from the motherload that I just recently hatched for the Festival For The Eno.
In the last post, I shared a few of the new Dragon's Eyes that I fashioned for the Festival.

Next up is tredknests, and then maybe I'll move to Tirariums.

The trednest was originally developed, as kind of a hybrid with a dragons eye, as a piece for the Burrito Bash Fundraiser Auction for the Haw River Assembly at the recent Pittsboro General Store. I wanted to create something that had some of the riparian wildlife magic to it, that you might find along the majestic Haw River. The result was the first tredknest, which featured a winding knot of orangy yellow Kenda bike tire, coiled sereptitiously around a 'knest' of on glassy babymoon hubcap egg, nestled into a purple feather boa.
I really felt like this hit its mark, and was relieved when then Events Cooridinator accepted it at the last minute for the fundraiser (God Bless Germane!).
I was then thrilled, when Ken Moore, builder and co founder of UNC Botanical Gardens bid on the piece, and when my very good friend Diane Swan made the final bid. I had, in fact had Diane in mind as I rushed to create the piece (knowing she and her partner Scotty Young would be at the event).
I could just see it resting on their porch in Bynum. And shore enough, fate it be!

The next development for the tredknest occured when Jimmy and Audrey Shwankle happened in to my studio, one 3rd Friday Art Walk, in Siler City.
Audrey had a brother who was a  trucker, and got married in Las Vegas, and Audrey wanted to give him an Wedding present.  They were really taken by the tredknot form, and asked if they could commission an artpiece incoroporating the form for a wedding gift.

 So I got to work, and what I came up with is now what is known as the tredknest.
Like the original, this involves a tredknot of bicycle tire, with a mirror buried within a knest of feathers.
However, for this, I traded the babymoon out for a smaller rear view mirror. There are some other contraptions involved, but I can't really talk about those here (trade secret).

A new addition though is a backing, of reclaimed cardboard, foam rubber and upholstery fabric.
As I mentiioned in the post about Dragon's Eyes, this backing really helps to finnish out the piece, and adds another element of depth of character to the piece.

I was extremely pleased with this particular batch of tredknests.
This particular tredknot form is quite tricky to master (as the beads of the tires rarely want to behave, to allow a graceful form). But have made in the neighborhood of 50 of these forms now, my skill level increased, to yield a much higher success rate.

 And additionaly, through this experience, of what works and doesn't work aesthetically with this line, I have honed into what I consider to be some pretty exquisite pairing of tire, feather and fabric.
Humbly, I would say unto thee that I think this gradual heightining of skill and aesthetic sensibilities shows in this years collection.

Strawberry Milk Knot 

(a true Bessie)

The idea for this knot began, as is often the case, with the tire.

For some reason, these white wall tires knots always remind me of a the black and white jersey? cows that I see in Chatham County. So I have come to call these knots "Bessie'"s.

I made the first Bessie for my friend Tessa, which my girlfriend Carrie at the time commissioned for her. It suited her so well, and she seems to adore it (it hangs in her bathroom, which I think of as a compliment, coming from a woman). Tess is a really strong woman- an activist, who helps lead/teach some community gardening education classes in Siler City. I wanted to make another one of these bessies, to honor Tess, for another strong woman out there.

The strawberry milk bit was an afterthought (I just had this dotted red upholstery fabric laying around).

But what a deliscious afterthought!

SAFARI KNOT

Perhaps this one is a little kitshy, but what's wrong with a little kitsch?!

It was that leapord print fabric I tell ya, these fabric backings are causing kitschy wild things to happen around here! But look how it brings the whole thing together, willya? 

PINK THANG / PALM BEACH KNOT

That hot pink feather boa has been sitting in my closet for yeeahs, yeeah's I tell ya, 

waiting for its moment in the sun.

Well, its day has finally come. 

Phassined to one hellluva knot, and finished with a cool minty blue/green derriere, 

this tredknot is to die foa!

I'm caught between being embarrased to hang this in my booth, and swooning over it.

Palm beach aside, or not, against that burlap background, you've got to admit, Palm Beach and all, its pretty exotic.

Mallard Knot

On maybe a slightly more mature note, but no less exquisite in my eyes, 

is this distinguished tredknot.

I remember a movie I saw several years ago in SF, called Birds in Flight, which followed birds on their migrations on what were at times perilous journeys.

One very touching scene was of a group of beautiful ducks who were making their way through a polluted landscape of Eastern Europe. You couldn't help but feel and pull for these brave and beautiful creatures, as they made their hurried way through the darkened, sooty skies, and through slick, polluted once marsh- waters. You also could notice their sense of vital urgency, as they tried to get through this doomy chapter of their journey as quickly as possible.

So anyways, this knot is perhaps a small tribute to those ducks. 

I think that this one I am going to have to set aside for a gallery in Asheville that I have been talking with.

PURPLE HAZE KNOT

This here is one wicked knot. So much so, that I am not quite sure that its interior does the knot justice yet.

However, I do think the purple does it right, and 

For me, this has a bit more fierce and masculine energy to it. While I like the purple, I am considering trying a new color, maybe a yellow, orange or lime green. 

YET UNNAMED KNOT

One of my very favorites of this series was this one, whose name has not yet revealed itself to me.

For some reason, it just strikes me as straighforward, matter of fact, and utterly beautiful.

I guess that I could say that, to me this piece strikes a perfect, and enchanting balance 

between strength and femininity.

 It reminds me a little bit of an once upon a time love of mine.

Maybe I will name her Tila.

 Here are few more close ups of Palm Beach Knot, just cause its so... glamorous!

(the shape that you see reflected in the mirror at the tredknests center is a tiresphere called "Sphere for Charles Woodsend" that was hanging above where I was photographing the knot. I had never witnessed this piece from this angle, pretty neat!)