June 11: I recently saw this little machine on The Kneeslider site and it made me smile. There’s something so evocative, so – dare I say – cute, that it made me happy just to see it.
Perhaps it’s not so much what it is, but what it represents that raises emotion. To be clear: this is not a remanufactured lawn mower. This is a one-off, hand-made objet d’art. The deck is made from an old barbeque, and the motor is from a snowmobile. The faired wheels and taillights were all created by the builder. Even the paint colour captures that 50’s vibe perfectly.
I understand that this is not David by Michelangelo. It’s not high art, but I admire the artist’s ability to conceptualize beauty in the most mundane of machines, and then to have the technical ability to create something special. And maybe that’s what made me smile: thinking about the gift of creativity we unleash when we draw, or sing, or dance, or write. I hope you see something that makes you smile today. We can all use a little of that ….