I GO WHERE I'M TOWED

This piece is one of three from a show that opens tonight at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Gallery. The title of the show is DOORS.
Having a love for vintage travel trailers I thought it would be a fun project to create a small trailer with a little door. Lost in the idea I didn't know how challenging it would be. I had to enlist the talents and strong hands of my husband to help at particular junctures while I put this piece together. I also had some help from my artist friend, Shane Miller, as we wrestled with her metal shear and the piece of metal we successfully cut that wraps around the circumference of the trailer.
While out on a travel about a year ago my husband and I came across a small tear drop trailer with the words I GO WHERE I'M TOWED printed across the back bumper. We had such a great laugh over it at which point were determined to use the phrase on our little pop-up trailer. That has not come about as yet, but once I created this piece there was no way I couldn't use it as the title.
Then came the task of what would be the surprise inside the trailer once the door is opened.


It took me a while, but Voilà! Of course, put a toad inside.Then came the search for a really appropriate toad. Nowhere in all my rummaging hither and yon, including the internet and letting my fingers do the walking could I find the perfect toad that fit the personality of this little trailer. Well, a local Port Townsend garden shop was out of small toads, but they graciously suggested I try a new shop downtown PT.


Sure enough they had the perfect toad, a Christmas tree ornament, that I gathered up, took home to my studio and proceeded to paint it to look realistic. Meet the perfect toad. He goes where he's told, I mean towed.
(click on photos for larger images)


Originally I had designed the graphics on the plate to look like a vintage plate, but my husband said, "oh no, you really should have it look like a Washington license plate", so I said, go for it, and he came forth with these graphics for the plate...perfect. You can't see it in this photo very well, but the date on the license plate is the date of the opening of the show. Then I proceeded to craft the license plate holder. More fun. More smiles.