Bower Boat

THE EARTH is forever renewing itself through its life, timely decay and spring regeneration.

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Bower #3 spoke to me.  It made me think about the many changes that have taken place on the ground where I was standing. Perhaps this spot was once an ocean.  In my mind, I envisioned the skeletal remains of a boat, one in the process of a slow reclamation by encroaching nature.  Boats have always been a part of my life.  My father sold small outboard fishing rigs for his livelihood and in my youth, I spent many Saturday mornings polishing boats and developing a lifelong appreciation for vessels and a special fascination with their curved forms.

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Boats are about journeys, whether they cross the lake or travel to Avalon.   They are about physical transportation and symbolic of psychological and spiritual change and transcendence. 

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The nest and fragile egg represent the future of humanity and the continuation of creatures that occupy our Earth. Earth Day reminds us that our current way of living is in conflict with the survival of our planet.  We must own and embrace our future. We must nourish and protect our environment.  Every day.

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Stephanie Darling recited her written words and the Redbud Yoga Groups joined with their “ums” and recorded monk chants.      

I want to thank and acknowledge friends who provided advice on the building of The Bower Boat: Ed Wilson, Art Shirer, Sherry Owens, Mathias Bugge, and Gus Kopriva.  I would also like to thank my crew: Mathias Bugge, Vincent Bugge, Tory Campbell, and Stephanie Darling.

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Thanks to James Surls and family and to DiverseWorks for the bower ground, funding for this project, and for all the other work they are doing for the arts in Texas.

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Happy 80th Birthday James Surls