For my birthday my sister treated me to a trip to North Carolina. Both my sister Jodi Hollnagel-Jubran and her husband Hanna Jubran are prolific sculptors and I was looking forward to seeing some of the work they had completed since the last time I visited.
I also met Jodi & Hanna's new puppy Zues for the first time. He is adorable!
Jodi picked me up at the airport in Greenville and we headed on our way to Asheville.
This is Jodi's recent piece for the veterans' memorial in Asheville, NC. The seated lady reading a letter from a loved one represents the families of men and women in the armed forces who must wait at home while their loved ones are serving. Jodi also made the relief sculptures signifying the different military forces of the USA.
The Art Deco styled Asheville city building is beautiful. Look at the stained glass light. Wish I was there to see it lit up!
Models are one of my many interests and I found these of Asheville's City Building and Court House.
The Phil Mechanic Studios is one of the many studios that we visited. I would love to have a studio in a building like this, filled with artists to inspire each other. I also realize that I love being at home and working at my home studio. Wherever I went would have to allow me to bring my dogs...4 boston terriers :)
I love seeing the pigeons in town. Perhaps I need some country pigeons!
Friday evening in Asheville is the place for drummers, dancers, and gatherers to be. The music and experience is was very moving.
Jodi sitting by the French Broad River.
This butterfly modeled for several minutes allowing me to get multiple shots of the irridescent wings.
We spent the third day in Marshall. A cute cozy riverfront town in the Mountains of North Carolina.
A vintage police car with the word "Mayberry" on the star parked outside of the cop shop. There is also a ruler on the side of the building to mark the flood water. We were told by one of the locals that Marshall is in a 50 year flood plain and it flooded twice last year.
The Madison County Court Seat in downtown Marshall.
Greensboro was on the way home so we stopped to see the Spartan that Jodi made. The Spartan resides at the University of North Carolina - Greensboro.
My brother-in-law Hanna Jubran is a sculptor and professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Pictured is a water fountain that he created, which is located outside of the Greenville Museum of Art.
We also stopped at the Library where a sculpture made by both of them is featured. Even though they usually each design their own work, sculpture for them is a team effort.
Another one of Hanna's sculptures in Greenville, North Carolina.
My sister also recently completed The Hands and Heart Sculpture at the East Carolina Heart Institute.
We stopped at the park, the mosquitoes were horrid so I only looked for about 15 minutes but was able to find all of these fossils and shark teeth in the creek. I hope to create some art incorporating these finds.