LISBON — When artist Patrick Plourde sees an old rusty tool, he envisions what it could become.
A bird. A horse. A feather. A pinecone.
And sometime over the next few months, visitors to the Blaine House will see what he can do with the head of a shovel.
Or more precisely, dozens of them welded to a center post to create a very large pinecone.
“It occurred to me one day that if I stacked them properly, they’d look like a pinecone,” he said. “It’s because the way they were piled outside. A lightbulb went off.”
Plourde, 72, scours barns and other places for old and sometimes rusty metal items that can be molded into art.
His “Pinecone Pair with Tassel” was recently chosen by the Maine Arts Commission to be installed on the grounds of the Blaine House, the governor’s mansion in Augusta. It’s part of an effort to “integrate public art into one of Maine’s most historic civic spaces,” according to the arts commission.
The sculpture is being paid for with private funds and fundraising by the Friends of the Blaine House. The commission notes that no public funds were used to acquire the artwork.
Plourde said he feels the sculpture is a good fit, partly because the state flower is the cone and tassel of the Eastern white pine.
“It’s an honor for sure,” he said. “Just my friends and family being happy for me it’s kind of worth it. It’s kind of a blur.”
More than 30 artists submitted work for consideration to be installed on the Blaine House grounds. Works were required to be able to withstand tough Maine winters and to have minimal environmental impact, according to the commission.
In addition to the connection to the state flower, arts commission Executive Director Amy Hausmann said the reuse of old tools represents those who work with their hands.
“Patrick Plourde’s sculpture reflects Maine’s forests and fields, the legacy of human labor that shaped them, and the shared symbols of Maine that connect people across the state,” she said in a statement.
For Plourde, formerly of New Gloucester, it’s a busy time of year. He’s got two other large spruce pinecone sculptures to deliver to New Hampshire. And he’s getting ready for a show in York next month.
The dedication at the Blaine House is yet to be scheduled, giving him some time to focus on other projects — for now.
“To have this on the lawn, I can’t wait to see it on the pristine Blaine House lawn,” he said.
