ASHLAND, Tenn. (AP) - Despite its crushing blow, the downtime during the pandemic opened the window of creativity for many people.
First time bakers experimented with bread loafs and cakes.
Roller skates became a mainstream fad.
And in a little wooded plot of land near Ashland City, Tennessee professional artists Rebecca Blevins, 37, and Brett Hunter, 39, spent months creating a wild universe of life-size colorful creatures.
Blevins is a ceramicist and teacher. Hunter designs and builds art installations that are typically on display at music festivals.
But when the pandemic brought large gatherings to a halt, the artists continued creating elaborate sculptures in their home.
“Soon we ran out of room,” Blevins said.
The couple owns a small refurbished 1963 Shasta camper on a wooded hilltop within walking distance from their home. In August, they decided to rent the camper to overnight visitors seeking an escape to nature.
The remodeled camper was soon surrounded by more than a dozen colorful foam sculptures scattered among the trees.
The creatures are generated entirely from Hunter’s imagination.
They are doodles come to life.
There’s a red-faced creature whose mouth forms an archway with a tongue that resembles a slide. There’s a multi-eyed, multi-headed frog creature that could double as a bench.
Hunter’s favorites are the “gator-dog” and the octopus man.
“They aren’t supposed to be anything in particular,” he said about his creations. “I like that it’s confusing.”
Since August, the colorful sculpture garden and campsite has drawn dozens of overnight visitors. The site has been a temporary playground setting for a child’s first birthday.
By request, the couple offers visitors pottery lessons or wood cut-out replicas of the creatures.
For Blevins, this has been an opportunity to collaborate and a chance to create larger art pieces than she’s used to working on. Despite their size, the creatures are relatively light and can be moved around. Each sculpture is made from foam and coated in a thin layer of cement.
On-site there are close to a dozen sculptures. Both of the artists plan to create more and add to the landscape. They have considered a creature that could double as a firepit. They’ve thought of making a sculpture that is also a bed frame, so at some point in the future visitors can sleep inside of a creature.
“It’s a perpetual private art show when you’re out here,” Blevins said.
Note on accommodations: The accommodations at the campsite are limited. There is no indoor plumbing. However, there is a colorful outdoor shower and outhouse for use near the camper. There’s well water available from a spigot on the property.
To find out specific location details and cost visit hipcamp.com/tennessee/weirdsville-usa/creature-camp
Please read our comment policy before commenting.