My Father the Artist

An Essay in Pictures

Today I’m back at my writing desk in Michigan following ten days in Tennessee. Since I rented the cabin for the entire month of April, I was able to come and go throughout the month. My husband and I drove down with the dogs and spent the second week of the month. He kept the dogs entertained while I cared for my father. The availability of the cabin allowed for my father’s youngest sister to visit him during the first week of April. He was alone – saving for his wife, stepson, and hospice workers – for most of the third week, then I flew down for the final ten days of the month.

On each of these return trips, I was struck by how progressively frail he had become. He spent much more time sleeping and grew tired more quickly than before. I took the opportunity during his naps to wander his property and the surrounding area, drinking in the beauty of springtime in the Smokey Mountains.

While I’m still working on a more long-form written post, I will share some images of the natural beauty with you. Along with the blooms, please enjoy pictures of the art he has created during his lifetime. I did not know he was an artist until I moved to Nashville nearly seven years ago to wait for my heart transplant. When we visited his place for the first time, he took me on a tour of his work. It really is amazing what he has accomplished.

Nearly everything in these pictures, he either built or planted himself.

Metal cut-out sculptures of Mama Bear and her cubs, with a guest appearance by Gidget McFidget. He cut the bear family out of an old piece of steel with his plasma cutter.

Also spotted on his property - a deer and a moose. Plus one Gidget.

A picture from 2019 of him shaking hands with the Sasquatch he created from scrap metal then covered with a faux fur pelt.

Of course, no collection is complete without a Tennessee Walker horse and a werewolf with striped fur created with a torch.

Whirligigs on his porch.

Avian apartment complex. A few of the many bird houses scattered throughout his property.

Bat house in the carport. See the little ears peeking over the edge?

Standing next to the wisteria tree in its full glory in 2019. Both he and the tree have declined since then.

One of his most impressive works. A self-portrait carved into one of the posts on his porch.

View from the end of his porch, capturing several of his creations.

Marker at the end of his driveway. The picture with Gidget is from 2019, and the close-up is from this recent visit.

His workshop. He cut down the trees, milled the lumber, and built the whole thing by himself. Then he created the art that decorates the front.

A few of the many flowers blooming around his house. They are beautiful, but the pollen was killing me.

The creek (pronunciation rhymes with "stick") out back. I enjoyed sitting nearby, listening to the gentle babbling of the water and the warbling of the birds. So peaceful during a stressful time.

During difficult times such as this, I try to find the beauty. Nature never fails to provide the antidote to that which troubles us. The birds never worry. They just sing. The flowers don’t care if the weather is rain or shine. They bloom anyway.

That’s my take-away. Bloom anyway.