Of Bondo and Bees

Some of these horses have been in quite bad condition, and the maintenance guys once again have been amazing with all of their expertise and cheerful help.  There's a handful of horse that have been so corroded by time and use that the aluminum was pitted and chipped, way beyond simple sanding and priming.  This horse was the first that needed Bondo, a putty usually used for car body repairs.  They were able to fill, sand and prep the worst spots to make a good smooth surface for painting.  Here is a photo taken after reconstruction and before painting, to give you an idea of the work behind the scenes:

But then the fun began.  We are in the heart of winter here, a long string of below-zero days and deep snow.  Myself and all of Ithaca are eager for spring, and so I made a nice spring-y, summer-y horse, with apple blossoms, bees and honey comb.  This also illustrated the cycle of pollination, of flowers to fruit and honey, and the importance of our local farming ecosystems.  Ithaca has a huge unique agriculture system of which we are quite justifiably proud.

I'm really happy with this one, I think she's really pretty, and I've nicknamed her Honey.  You can see the next horse in line in the background, another Bondo special, and in contrast that horse is going to be a winter horse (which has nothing at all to do with a certain movie involving lots of snow and ice and princess sisters and letting go and so on), all whites and blues and snowflakes.

You can see all of this in process at the History Center through the month of March as well, they have graciously extended our stay and I must say it's a great place to work.  They are open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 11-5.

-Christi