As I mentioned my resent post, we discussed with Conan about our piece.

 

Conan had a lot to say about it especially about his disagreement about our tree and using the paper mache materials  in a different way. But we believe that the tree is or focal point, the element that attracts the audience at the very beginning and engages them to interact with it.

 

As I said before, the tree represents to norm that is taken for granted and also the life of Lincoln.

 

So to link the two points together; Conan’s objection and idea, with our significance and original aim, I came across this idea and rather fond memory.

 

Clive Kay. 

 

 

Clive Kay is a self taught artist born in Zimbabwe.  Later in life he moved to South Africa then a year later to England where he became highly influenced by David Shepard’s work, and now resides in Canada.

 

He is fascinated with wild life, especially from the African plains, and thus commissioned by the Walt Disney Company to paint the Collector’s edition of “The Tree of Life” for the opening of The Animal Kingdom park in the Spring of 1998.  This is when I first became interested with Kay. I met him in person when I went to the Animal Kingdom the week it opened and became overwhelmed by the beauty of the “Tree of Life”, to the point when I had my parents purchase a print of his painting, lucky for us, he was there too and he signed it for us. He is truly an inspiration, even at that time for a child of 6.

 

As you can see in these images below, I took when I went the Animal Kingdom in Florida, the animals are carved into to the wood of tree (admittedly some are caved then place on the tree), maybe for our piece we can do something like this, not as busy, but a few elements of Lincoln that we miss, like the architecture, could be moulded into the tree and become part of the visual element, maybe even part of the slightly tactile element too. It certainly doesn’t go unrecognised at the Animal Kingdom, this could even attract the audience better here too.

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Website

Jes, Brent (unknown) “Frames and Mats”Online: http://www.brentjes.com/mats.htm (accessed: 11th March 2012).

Kay, Clive (2001) “The Fine Art of Clive Kay” Online: http://www.clivekay-artist.com/Default.htm (accessed: 11th March 2012).