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- Detail of scrap metal crane. Sorry the quality isn’t so hot. Shooting into the sky is always a problem.
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- Metal bird, probably a grey-crowned crane, East Austin.
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- Grey crowned crane, the flesh and blood and feathers version.
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- Whooping crane, photo by Aaron Reed, when we were in Rockport a few seasons back.
UPDATE: A reader informed me that this bird and the surrounding work is just part of the immense and fabulous output of Barry George. I should have known that, but I didn’t, and I’m looking forward to meeting him soon.
One of many, many reasons I love the East Side. I frequent Texas Coffee Traders, which is on East 4th, just down from the Scoot Inn, one of the oldest bars in Austin, almost as old as Scholz’ Garden. Anyway, almost every time I go over there, and that’s several times a week, I see something new that makes me smile. You may already know about this scrap metal sculpture, standing in a yard that’s full of the stuff, conveniently situated a block and a half from the metal scrap yard. If I’m not mistaken, this is a gray crowned crane of Africa, Balearica regulorum, the flesh and blood version being probably the showiest of all crane species. There’s also a sub-species, the black crowned crane, which is the only crane that roosts in trees. Like our whooping crane, Grus americana, the crowned cranes are endangered.These African cranes grow up to 3.3 feet in height. Whoopers get up to five feet, the better so they can peck your eyes out.
Jesse, I am fairly certain that is Barry George’s workshop. He’s an incredible metal sculptor and teaches welding at ACC. If you are not familiar with him or his work, stop in there sometime and introduce yourself, that is , if the city has not succeeded in shutting it down!
http://austinartblogs.com/http:/austinartblogs.com/city-of-austin-closing-down-artists-studios
http://www.archive.org/details/RagRadio2011-02-18
Here’s his contact info: bgeo@yahoo.co.uk 512-775-7301
Hi Lori. Thanks for that. I will contact him.
Ride past there every day on my bike back and forth from work. I see the entrepreneurs of the new Republican economic vision trudging in with their bags of cans for recycling pennies every morning. Now tell me, why is Denmark #2 on Forbes list of happiest places to live? Go look it up on Yahoo or elsewhere. It is literally only YD’s news. We could learn a thing or 1,000 from the Danes. I’ve been there. It works. Unlike this suck-ass country.