Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1999)
field that is temporarily replac ing a raspberry patch while the soil recovers from a dis ease. Why wheat? “I just want ed to look out over a sea of grass,” she explains, admiring the breeze-stirred grain, a scene worthy of van Gogh. Another new passion is timber bamboo, which she says is growing a foot a day. (It must be the compost!) She harvests the poles to make trellises for herself and her friends. In return, friends give her their broken pottery, which she embeds in her cement sculptures, adding color and whimsy to her work. But her favorite part of the garden is the spacious patio she constructed from dyed concrete bricks. Before the bricks dried, she incised them with a wild array of mystical symbols, plus the occasional paw prints from her four legged helpers. The effect is hieroglyphic, which is not sur prising, since she admits to a Kathy Oliver sharing a rare moment of rest with Zoomer love of things Egyptian and and Zeda on her mystical patio, while her newest has even painted a large mural sculpture looks on of an Egyptian scene in her house. Arching over the patio is a very tall single seedlings out of the ground. Still, all coexist in span arbor that supports vigorous kiwi vines this idyllic haven, which she keeps lush with that, like the transcontinental railroad, will the output from 10 compost heaps. eventually meet. Gracing a nearby flower bed One of her latest pet projects is a wheat One of many animal sculptures Kathy Oliver has created for her wildlife paradise is Olivers newest sculpture, a life-size female form made from cement and copper pipes. “I love curves—all the figures I’ve done are female,” she says. Many of her sculptures have an ancient feel, as if they are really fragments remaining from an earlier civilization. That, combined with the many mature trees and shrubs, creates a very serene environment. Which is exactly what Oliver needs. She calls gardening her therapy: “I have an incredibly stressful job, and it helps to come home and dig in the dirt.” It was regrouting her original patio that first interested Oliver in the prop erties of cement. “1 wondered if I could make it round,” she recalls—which she could and did, using a friend’s barbecue to mold her first sphere. “It was so heavy and dense. Then I started embedding light, airy, fragile porcelain cups. If 1 could embed bub bles in cement, I would,” she adds earnestly. Her works seem to be a metaphor for the human spirit—inherently strong yet vulnerable—which is how Kathy Oliver strikes me as well. She is tall and fit, with the strength to lug 100-pound sculptures, yet her face is a study in softness—one hopes from years of smiles. In winter while her garden rests, Oliver busies herself with quilting. “I just love creating with color—it has nothing to do with people,” she says. “Given my job, I need to have things that have nothing to do with people.” That may be true, but her creations have everything to do with providing habitat for animals and, yes, with making art. Continued on Page 24 Oregon HotSpring® Spas cordially invites you to Enjoy wine, cheese, music and a rare opportunity to take advantage of low fair prices on HotSpring* Spas starting at only *1795 along with special pricing on chemicals and accessories! (Limited Quantities Available) ttacr K>«er Saturday, July 24,h 10am-9Pm & Sunday, July 25“' 12Pm-5 pm Consumer Digest’s Best Oregon HotSpring* Spas 3966 Silverton Rd NE, Salem Just off Lancaster Tel: (503) 363-4000 Buy Award since 1986! » Free Delivery! (w in 10 miles. Oregon only) ^HotSpring Spas One pf life's rewards 1