One Man's Trash

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First two paragraphs excerpted from the web (because it tells the story better than I could)
Patrick Amiot
The "Junk Sculptor of Sebastopol"
What does a garbage can lid, an old clock and a stovepipe all have in common? They all were destined to be landfill and are now part of a whimsical Patrick Amiot sculpture. Amiot say’s “I’m a junk specialist”. “People throw stuff away that I consider valuable. I can do so many things with it.” I guess it’s another way of saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

Amiot and his wife and artistic partner Brigitte originally hail from Montreal. After crisscrossing Canada they immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Sebastopol in 1997 where they soon began to transform the local landscape. Amiot, who created tabletop ceramic sculptures, found he wanted to work bigger but couldn’t afford the larger materials - so he turned to junk. One day at a local flea market he bought a rowboat for $50 and turned it into a grinning fisherman posing with a large fish. He put it on his front lawn . . . and the magic began.

Now there is no place in Sebastapol where you you don't see his art in evidence. In particular is Florence Avenue, the street he lives on. Almost every house has a piece out front. For the most part, Sebastapol residents love his work. An occasional person is a bit burned out on the ubiquity of it or wishes some of the more rusted pieces would be replaced. But for a town that prides itself on its idiosyncrasy, Patrick's pieces fit right in.
For more, check out http://www.patrickamiot.com/urban.html

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Photos

The artist's studio
This is land Melisse's Aunt Alice (you remember Alice) sold Patrick. It is adjacent to Alice's studio

Specific to Place
Many sculptures are strategically placed in front of appropriate businesses in town.

Specific to place 2
appropriate places of worship too

Artist
Just about every one of Patrick's neighbors have a sculpture in their front yard. It makes Florence Ave. in Sebastopol a fun street to take a walk.

Comments

[The Armchair Traveler]

Merci
Love your works of art! You're amazing. Thanks for making Sebastopol unique and wonderful. Raincoastgirl (and neighbor)