Local Art Scene: Heike's Creations

I happen to work in Superior, Wisc. a couple blocks from a really cute little house that has a pair of unique, nearly life-sized sculptures in the narrow front yard. One is a sailor sitting on a bench, the other a man in a bathtub.  Two weeks ago I learned that this is the home of artist Heike McDonald and her husband Steve.

Heike, who arrived here from the Cologne/Dusseldorf region of Germany in 2004, used to make puppets there. Like many of us, she says, "I love to be creative," no doubt sparked by her mother's craft making and creative pursuits. Steve, a Yooper, brought Heike to America to marry her, settling here in Superior. He's also a motorcycle rider, which might explain some of Heike's work came into existence. She makes motorcycles out of broken watches.

Though it was the watches that first caught my eyes, I could see that she really gets a kick out of making the puppets, and undoubtedly so do the people who purchase them.  Here Heike is showing me how she uses a gourd to form the shape of the head and torso as the starting point for one of her peg-legged pirates.

The motorcycle art happened the way many epiphanies occur. "I had an old watch and took it apart. It looked like motorcycle engine." Being married to Steve, she was more than familiar with the V-Twin design.

In addition to artwork made from broken watch pieces, she also designs novelty chickens and makes scarves and spices.

Below are some photos of pieces she shared with me that I wanted to share here. You can find more of her work at Heike's Creations on Facebook as well as Heike's Creations on the Freeweb netspace.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Enjoy it.