OSCAR

OSCAR     wood sculpture by Candace Knapp   
26 inches x 26 inches x 14 inches      $3400.        Photo Bjorn Andren

OSCAR

Ok
so I have a little waddle when I walk.
It’s part of my “style”,
in fact you could say that I have a “swagger”
maybe even a “swish”.
It’s not just because I have short legs
and a magnificent shell swaying on my back.
It’s because I know who I am.
It wasn’t always this way.
People used to look down on me
and not just because I am close to the ground.
People would pass by and see me there on the sidewalk.
They wouldn’t step on me but they wouldn’t look at me either.
I was just something to be avoided,
overlooked.
They would keep on talking to each other
laughing as if I didn’t exist.
One day I constructed my magnificent shell.
It isn’t like anyone else's shell you can’t climb into it
but it is very special.
It is a flourish of me.  It is  “I AM” and I wear it with pride.
Whatever you may think of me,
I am the only one like me and you will never see another.
So what I say is this,
“waddle” is good
“swagger” is even better.

THREE ASCENDING PALMS

THREE ASCENDING PALMS ( two shown here)
wood sculptures by Candace Knapp
up to 84 inches tall   $4100 each   Photo Bjorn Andren

THREE ASCENDING PALMS

We have been in love with the sun
for as long as I can remember,
planted years ago by a squirrel
tiny fingers digging in the sand
and then forgotten.
Just the three of us standing,
our root balls holding tight against the wind.
All Winter we wait and cherish each ray of sun.
In Spring we drop great mops of pale yellow blossoms
That turn into seeds and blow in the wind.
All Summer we bake in searing white heat
growing strong and tall.
We reach for the sun yearning to touch her shining face
and then one day it happens.
Our bodies fall to the earth
Our spirits rise.

DOROTHY

DOROTHY,    wood sculpture by Candace Knapp
 23" x 9" x 16"        $2400.      Photo Bjorn Andren

DOROTHY

The name is Matilda
but Dorothy just calls me “bird”.
I don’t mind.
Most people call us “cow birds”
because we hang around with cows.
It’s not as fun as it sounds.
One day I saw Dorothy running back and forth along the fence.
She spends a lot of time in the back yard alone
because her master, Sam,  works late.
She amuses herself as best she can.
I could see she was a lot more playful than a cow.
One day I just landed in the yard and waited for her to come over.
She barked and barked but I stood my ground.
I’m no squirrel.
I don’t run.
After a while she got used to me,
walked right up and gave a little sniff.
Within six weeks I was sitting on her back,
sometimes even on her head.
I guess you could call me a companion animal.
In the evening when we hear the car drive up
I jump off and she runs fast in through the doggie door.
Not me, I don’t go in there.
I see how happy she is jumping all over Sam
and he’s petting her and giving her food.
It’s all about the food if you ask me.
I can see she wants to please him
but she knows who her real friends are.

SHY SWEETHEART

SHY SWEETHEART    acrylic on canvas by Candace Knapp
13" x 13" x 1 ½"      $ 500.        Photo Bjorn Andren

SHY SWEETHEART

I’m a nice girl.
You should like me.
Is that a smile I see?
We’ve had grand times together over the years
haven’t we?
Remember the cat?
That sound you made was like an angry screech owl.
She will never dare to come here again!
This forest is our place,
far from the noise of the village.
It is cool and green.
Being here with you is everything to me.
Remember the June bugs?
How we flipped them over on their backs and
spun them around until they were dizzy
walking away like drunk old men?
Sweetheart,
I have made us a little picnic
at the mossy place next to the river.
I have prepared nuts and berries and
those grub worms you like so much.
We have it so good.
What I fear most, dear heart,
is that you will die one day
with those words “I love you”
still caught in your throat
like some old fish bone
and I will still be waiting.

TWO SISTERS

TWO SISTERS       wood mobiles by Candace Knapp    
each 11" x 13" x 8"     Sold      Photo Bjorn Andren 
TWO SISTERS

People say we look alike but I just don’t see it.

               Me either.

I mean, there may be a family resemblance
but in many ways we are soooooo different.
For example, I like nature and you like music.

               I like nature too !

Not as much as I do!
Nature is my thing. You like music.

               Well you are more pushy.

I am not pushy, I speak up.
I speak up for myself and tell my feelings.
You don’t.

               I have feelings too!

You are more like mom and I am more like dad.
Mom didn’t tell her feelings and dad did.

               I miss mom and dad.

Me too.

               There may be some ways we are alike.
               We both look young for our age
               and we both have a good sense of humor.

It’s probably because we are Irish.

               And people say our voices sound alike on the telephone.

I think that’s a nice thing.
I think we sound like mom.

               The main difference is just that I am me and you are you!

It’s just a perspective.
You could also say that I am you and you are me.

               Let’s not go there.