The Space Between Things

Another fabulous public art piece graces a Wimberley park. Heather Carter celebrates nature by incorporating native grapevines, honoring fallen Ashe juniper trees, and creating interactive arches and windows from reclaimed materials in two gates at the Blue Hole. Her work is suggestive of mangrove roots, bald cypress knees, and even giant pretzel twists! Photo: courtesy Constance Quigley

Constance Quigley

We met Heather last year when she was installing her art piece Sanctuary at Patsy Glenn Refuge. You can review that article here, including details about ProjectART and Wimberley Parks and Wildlife. Heather’s latest creation is at Blue Hole Regional Park and is the product of a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

As we were exploring the new gates at Blue Hole, we encountered several morning visitors, including artist Sam Elkins. She and her husband Dan enjoyed discussing the new pieces and were very interested in the creation process. We also saw fellow master naturalists Chris and Mike Rambo on the trail. Everyone seemed to enjoy walking through the arches and remarked on the natural beauty of the space.

Some additional Q&A:

Please provide some more detail on your material selection process. It seems that certain pieces of cedar or branches “speak” to you. You showed me several specific ones during our visit, but I’m curious how you pull them out of a large pile of collected wood.

The process of finding the right pieces takes some time just walking around fallen trees in place and deciding not only which branches to cut but WHERE to cut them so that the most interesting parts (curved and twisted) are saved.

I know this project was a challenging one due to the seasonal heat. Can you offer some more details on your daily project work and were you working under a deadline due to the grant? Are there any helpers you would like us to mention in the article?

Yes, I worked at the park three days a week for 10 weeks, from 7:30 AM to 2 PM, until it got too hot. The grant from Texas Commission on the Arts was for a project specifically constructed between April and August, so it didn’t quite fit for our Mentor program timeline. I’d like to thank two fellow board members on the ProjectART board: Jamie Pettit, for her help with writing the grant, putting in some hard work days helping me, and for the loan of the Polaris which was, as you saw, invaluable for getting that second gate completed; and Christie Lewis, our board treasurer, for her help writing the grant as well. It’s a real team effort at ProjectART, getting funds and resources together for a project of this size.

Help us understand more about the difficulties presented by working on public art in particular. You mentioned feeling vulnerable as an artist but that there were also regular visitors who were very encouraging to your project. Can you describe some of those encounters and some interactions you’ve had with Blue Hole regulars?

I love being a public artist. Interacting with people who frequent the space you’re working on is really special because they really care about the space. It’s a vulnerability in that, as an artist, you may not want to share your work with the public until it’s close to being complete, but from the very beginning of construction on a public piece, your thought process and your execution of the idea is out there for all to see. Some trail goers may ask questions and be genuinely interested in what your plan is for the project, and others might just ask when you think it might be complete. Both are helpful to me as they keep me going in the right direction. Routinely seeing the same people who remark each time how much it’s changed or that they can really see the piece coming together and love what it brings to their walks is so rewarding to me. I’ve shared a lot with them about my process if they have asked, and it feels like some who have never really appreciated public art before or understood how much it adds to a community have been truly touched by the work and its meaning. Meeting the artist during the installation process has been a transformative experience for some people, and they have shared with me that they are grateful for artists like me who make public spaces more beautiful and meaningful. I’ve had some send me pictures of the gates from different times of day when I’m not there, and some send me selfies with the gate in the background as a big thank you. It means a lot to me.

Are there future plans for more art pieces in Wimberley parks?

Yes, I believe the parks board has made it a goal in the master plan to have more public artwork installed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Below are some images of Heather’s work. They depict some of the detail involved in constructing the arches and windows and the texture of the pieces. I’ve added a slideshow of photos I took during our interview. Heather also shared a couple of videos showing a time-lapse day of work and a walk-through of the installation.

~~~~~~~~~~

Slideshow: courtesy Constance Quigley

~~~~~~~~~~

Videos: courtesy Heather Carter

~~~~~~~~~~

The Space Between Things will be formally unveiled with a ceremony on August 24, 2024. The title was inspired by a conversation Heather had with her father (an architect) while designing her own home. She was noting the challenges of placing cabinetry and furnishings when her father reminded her that we live in the space between things. That space is as important as all the solid structures that surround it. This concept is evident in many of Heather’s art pieces depicting rib cages, vessels, and framing delicate gaps with rustic limbs. The arches at Blue Hole offer airy openings and mottled light that allow one to see the surrounding tree canopy and blue sky from a unique perspective.

Gate 2 from the trail Photo: courtesy Constance Quigley

The next time you visit Blue Hole Regional Park, take the time to walk the trails, listen to the birds, and appreciate The Space Between Things!

A Gem of Nature

Doves of Central Texas