Local artist reflects on massive Green Mountain Falls outdoor sculpture as it enters final month
GREEN MOUNTAIN FALLS, Colo. (KRDO) - Residents and visitors have a few more chances to see the 7000 square foot sculpture flying above Gazebo Lake before its final day on October 19.
It's the first large-scale outdoor artwork piece in Southern Colorado for world-renowned artist Patrick Shearn since he returned home to El Paso County. His piece called "Off the Beaten Path" was the headliner of the annual Green Mountain Falls "Green Box" art festival that attracts artists from all over the country.
"A lot of times, I will do an installation in Berlin or somewhere like that, and then I have to leave," Shearn said. "To spend time with it, and experience it, and get to interact with the people around it is really a rewarding experience."
Shearn's piece made the rounds on social media, with thousands sharing images of the kinetic sculpture blowing in the wind above Gazebo Lake Park. The Green Box art festival ended in July, but Shearn said he still sees people who travel hundreds of miles to see the sculpture. For Shearn, it's the people a little closer to home who really make it special.
"I was born and raised in Colorado. My mom was an art teacher here and taught at Pike's Peak Community College for years, and so she gets to see what I've done, which is a real treat," Shearn said.
The sculpture is made of ribbon and lightweight fabric held up by thin cables tied to trees around the lake. Shearn said they had to use a canoe to help connect all the wires.
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